Time To Wake Up
by becoafamu
Summary: Non-AU. Sora feels like crap, and doesn't know why. Freak accidents help him put a name and face to the angst tromping around in his subconscious. Hint- it starts with A and ends in xel. Sora/Riku, Axel/Roxas, Sora/Kairi, Riku/Roxas.
1. Chapter 1

This story inspired by my opinion that Sora's sex life is just way too normal in most fics. Main pairings are Sora/Riku and Axel/Roxas, though expect side heapings of, well, a lot of secondary pairings and one-night stands. Watch for plenty of citrus, both of the homo and het variety. You have been warned. Enjoy! :)

* * *

"_Fuck!_" Sora swore as his window slammed shut on his thumb. He bit his tongue and stayed perfectly still, straining to make sure that his mom was still asleep. She always had three eyes on him to make sure he wouldn't leave again. He tugged at his hair to rid himself of the sudden guilt and sighed in relief when he heard his mother snore. The thin walls of their small house didn't leave much to the imagination.

This time he carefully slid the window open, moving slowly so as not to break anything. One year of nonexistence and two years of disuse didn't do much good for his windows, rendering sneaking out of the house a little difficult. His brand new 17-year-old size wasn't much helping, either. Over the past year he had shot upward, well, as far upward as he was ever going to go, but his body hadn't broadened to match, leaving him with a stretched, awkward feel. At least he wasn't tall enough to be called a bean-pole, as that would make life on the Destiny Islands a veritable hell.

Resigned, Sora got down on his knees to prepare for his window exit. His legs were too long to make starting with his feet an option, so he stretched his arms out before him as if he was about to do an elaborate dive, twisted his body into position, and slithered through, landing face-first on his roof with a soft thump. Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, his movements caused the window to drop shut, trapping his left foot. Teeth sank into tongue again and he craned his neck around to see the damage. Sora arched his back, contorted his torso, stretched his gangly arms toward the offending piece of architecture, grasped it with his fingertips, and with enormous effort pushed upward and tugged his foot free. The window dropped shut with a satisfied thud.

Sora painfully unwound himself and swore a third time. The whole swearing thing was kind of a new habit- normally his mouth was fresh and sweet as the new-fallen snow, and everyone and their uncle on the island went out of their way to make fun of him for it. He supposed he was just beginning to chafe at all of the limits being placed on him now that he was back on the island. After three years of wild adventuring, having to be home before dark to ease his mother's worries was getting a little old. He loved his mom and his islands more than anything, but he also missed his freedom.

Sora dragged himself over to a palm tree and clambered down to the ground. He pulled his bangs again, his favorite nervous habit, reminding himself where he was going. He had to find Riku. Fortunately, despite his delusions of dark mysteriousness, Riku was pretty predictable. The only problem was getting to the island before he did, and without scaring him off.

_God, Sora, you're such an idiot. _Sora's thoughts were coming back now that the pain in his muscles was subsiding. He had fought with Riku. Well, kind of. Being one of those people who thought more clearly out loud, Sora began to allow his anxious inner monologue to creep out into the night air.

"Yeah, you were woken up in the middle of the night. So what, it's not the first time it's happened, he had a nightmare and he just wanted to talk to you about it, not the first time," Sora muttered to himself. "And what do you have to go and say? 'Would some butt sex cheer you up.' I mean, seriously, 'butt sex'? You sound _twelve_. No way you're getting any of that ever again, and now you scared the crap out of him and he's running off to kill himself or something-"

And so it continued until he reached the dock facing the dimly visible play island where he and his two best friends, Riku and their best girl friend Kairi, spent all their days and nights. Sora knew he had a huge head start, Riku's house was about as far away from this beach as it could be on this world, but he still breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there weren't any boats missing. Taking his own was out of the question, as it would alert his friend to his presence immediately. So Sora stripped down to his shorts, hiding his shirt and shoes under some brush. He'd swum out to the island loads of times, it was a piece of cake. He still had all his super keyblade bearer muscles, which he was beginning to suspect weren't going anywhere. Was that a side effect of possessing a keyblade? Permanent combat readiness?

"He'd better be fucking grateful for all of this," Sora's mood swung as he waded into the black water, moving slowly to allow himself to adjust. "First my window tries to kill me, I almost fall off my roof, I'm jumping into the damn ocean in the middle of the night, all to apologize for daring to mention one stupid activity that we happen to partake in practically _every goddamn da_- ah!" He gasped as a cool wave slapped his sensitive nipples, then jumped forward and propelled himself toward the smaller island with strong, even strokes. The dark, salty liquid splashing into his mouth forced his monologue back down into internal territory.

_Wait, why am I so angry? Ugh, what's wrong with me?_

* * *

Roxas was aware. He wasn't quite sure when that had started, because where he was, wherever that was, he had no sense of time. He also wasn't quite sure what exactly he was aware of, because he had no memory and no body. But he knew his name was Roxas, which meant he was aware of _something_.

After a length of time, both forever and an instant, Roxas became aware of something new. Someone was tugging at him, poking and prodding his delicate consciousness. He supposed that was what had woken him up in the first place, and got annoyed. For he had also become aware that before the whole awareness business had started happening, he had been somewhere else. Somewhere where he was meant to stay asleep, safe and happy and blissfully _un_aware. This poking and prodding and being aware was unnatural.

Despite his best efforts to go back to sleep, Roxas found himself becoming _more_ awake, dragged along by that someone. After another indeterminable amount of time, his memories started to return. He got fuzzy visions of a dim little town where he supposed he must have lived at some point, and also of a castle floating high above an empty city. Blurry faces spoke to him. He remembered having a body, he remembered fighting. He saw his reflection. So where was he now?

As soon as the thought had passed through him, he received an answer.

_You're inside him._

Roxas didn't have to ask the nothingness who "him" was. Sora. The one clear face in his memories, the boy whose memories he shared. His double. He was inside of Sora because they were one and the same.

And just like that, the last of Roxas's mind came clear again. And he knew who had dug into Sora's subconscious to find him.

_Axel?_

_The one and only! _A cheerful response came from nowhere in particular.

_You died. I watched you die._

_Well, the reports of my death were greatly exaggerated. _

_I __**saw**__ you __**die**__. _Roxas's thoughts were getting shaky. Disembodied Axel's tone sobered.

_Listen, Rox. No time. You need to wake up._

_Maybe I don't want to?_

_This isn't a choice. I brought you this far. You can't go back now. You need to wake up._

_You son of a bitch-! _But Axel had disappeared from Sora's brain. And Roxas was alone, aware, and absolutely furious.

* * *

After a tiring swim, Sora dragged his heavy body up onto the sand. He staggered upright and shook his head to restore his hair to its characteristic spikes. Riku hadn't arrived yet. Sora didn't bother to conceal his footprints, knowing that his friend wouldn't notice them in the dark. What time was it now? 3:00? 4:00? Still no sign of dawn.

His thoughts dwelled on he and Riku's sex life, such as it was. The cause of this- he winced- lovers' spat. When had it all started?

Sora was a little embarrassed to admit that their first kiss and the first time they had done the deed were the same night, right next to each other. He was a lot embarrassed to admit that they had both had a few drinks. A couple months after coming back from the World That Never Was, he and Riku decided to have a guys' night, hanging out without Kairi while she was celebrating her dad's birthday. Not knowing what exactly people did on guys' nights, they picked up some brainless action movies, popcorn, and beer, and camped out in Riku's basement. During a gratuitous steamy sex scene halfway through movie number three, the two boys began complaining about their terrible sex lives. From there it was a tiny leap to watching each other masturbate, then a tinier leap to the making out and the handjobs, after which they had passed out naked on Riku's couch.

At the time they had sworn each other to secrecy and vowed it was a one-time thing, but lust got the better of both of them. Sora's favorite part of their little sexcapades was that they was never planned and always completely unexpected. On otherwise normal days he would suddenly find himself thrown up against a palm tree with his pants whisked away to nowhere in particular. He didn't really know what this was that they had. The only two things he was sure of were that Riku was an animal in the sack, and that he would flush purple if Sora so much as uttered the word "penis" in daylight.

"What am I going to say to him?" Sora wondered out loud. "I mean, first I'll have to apologize, that's obvious. That's why I came out here- say I'm sorry. But then what? Should I just hop back in and go home? Maybe I'll be able to guilt him into letting me share his boat- but no, he comes out here because he needs space. What if he's angry to see me? I mean, god, I'm not even fully dressed!" At this final thought Sora shivered. His shorts were still soaking wet. They'd have to be hung up somewhere, or they'd never dry. This new realization sent Sora's rapid-fire brain in a new direction.

"So I'll be meeting Riku in my boxers- which is completely stupid, because the whole reason I swam all the way out here was to apologize for asking him about butt sex, and now I'm all up in his personal space and totally naked, and what is he even going to think? Why did I even come out here? So I'll keep my shorts on but then I'll be all wet, and wet Sora isn't any better than naked Sora really, and then he'll think I'm a total freakshow and-"

"Sora?"

The boy in question froze. Apparently the island wasn't quite as Riku-free as he had thought. When had he shown up? Maybe Riku was more dark and mysterious than he gave him credit for. Sora steeled himself, pretended he hadn't just been taken totally by surprise, and put on his best grin.

"Ha! I _knew _you'd be coming out here."

"You actually _swam_? You idiot."

"Yeah, well, I…. I needed the exercise," Sora said lamely. His defenses were cracking. Already. He was no good at this, never had been, and never would be. After a brief pause, Riku spoke.

"I wouldn't have run away, you know. I like the company," he said softly, averting his eyes so that his too-long silver bangs would hide his expression. And with those words, Sora wanted to melt into the earth and die. Why did he have to be such a jackass? Of course Riku wouldn't have run away from him. They were _best fucking friends_. Sora's last resolve crumbled and he gazed at his feet with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Riku…" he breathed. "I'm so sorry- I came to apologize for before on the phone and now- oh god. I'm such a screw up. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, Sora," Riku silenced him with a gentle hug. "You're all wet," he observed.

"Yeah, swimming does that," Sora's teeth chattered. Riku slid his arm around Sora's skinny shoulders and the two boys moved down to the edge of the water. Reassured that Riku wouldn't mind, Sora stepped out of his dripping shorts and stretched out on the beach in only his underwear. The soft sand molded itself against the bones in his back.

Riku and Sora fell silent for a while, looking up at the stars. Even after travelling the universe, the Destiny Islands still had the brightest stars that Sora had ever seen. As a child counting the stars had been one of his favorite hobbies, but now, the view was a curse. Sora reached up toward the sky.

"Hey, Riku," he asked quietly. "Which one do you think is Disney Castle?"

"You know, I was just wondering the same thing. Weird," Riku murmured.

"I just wish they would come visit us… it's been more than a year. They're the ones with a gummi ship, can't they even try to talk to us?" Riku and Kairi were all that he needed, but Sora painfully missed his traveling companions. For three long years they had never been separated, even in sleep. And now nothing. Sora was so lost in thought that he almost missed Riku's answer.

"They have the ship, but you're the key, Sora," he said. "Just try to remember, no news is good news…" He sounded like he was trying to reassure himself more than anyone. Riku had never revealed any details of the time he spent with the king, but Sora knew he must be worried.

"But I want to hear from them _now_," he whined. Riku snorted.

"Well, if it's that important to you, I'll just Ansem up and we'll be on our merry way." Sora recoiled in shock. Riku _never _used what he and Kairi had taken to referring to as "the A-word."

"What!? Oh my god, Riku, you know that's not what I meant, how could you even- Riku?" Riku was shaking. Sora was concerned. Until he realized that Riku was _giggling_. And then the _giggling _progressed into outright _laughing_.

"Riku, what the hell is wrong with you!?" Sora demanded. At the sound of his friend's swearing, Riku began laughing so hard that the sound stopped coming out of his mouth. He fought for breath, shaking on the sand, lost in unbridled glee.

The sight made Sora crack a smile. Then he started laughing, too. "Riku, did you just try to tell a _joke _about _Ansem_?"

"Uh- ah- maybe," Riku gasped, still smiling. "Really, what the hell _is_ wrong with me?"

"You're a doof, that's what," Sora grinned, and easily blocked when Riku tried to punch him in the shoulder. The two boys settled back into comfortable silence. Up until Sora's mouth decided to start throwing out words of its own accord.

"Hey, Riku? Could you.. tell me about Roxas?" Sora asked. He blinked in surprise. Sure, he had always wondered, but he had assumed his friend would never want to talk about it, since Roxas was the reason that Riku had allowed Ansem to take over his body. Had Riku's mention of Ansem set something off inside of him?

Riku seemed to have the same thought, because he frowned. "Sora… Roxas is gone. He's you now. Not a part of you, just you," he said simply. Despite the number of screw-ups he'd already been through this miserable night, Sora decided he was going to be bold. Maybe it was the fatigue setting in.

"But he wasn't always! Please, Riku, I… I want to know." Riku shook his head and seemed to concede.

"Well, the little shit kicked my ass, but you knew that part already," he said ruefully. "Other than that…" His eyes narrowed. "Wait, what's bringing this on? Roxas hasn't been… talking to you or anything, has he?"

"Oh, no, he doesn't do that…. Well, except for that one time he tried to kill me…" Sora

answered distantly. He wasn't on the beach anymore.

A gentle rain was falling, causing the battered neon lights to sputter and fizzle. Sora was in battle position, knees bent to support the weight of the massive keyblades he carried in each hand. Lesser Nobodies whirled around the courtyard, watching the action but knowing they weren't needed. All of his attention was focused on the silver-haired boy writhing beneath him. _Riku_, he had said his name was. _Why does he want to fight me? _

The massive gash across Riku's abdomen was spilling blood into the street, blood that matched the drops sliding off of Sora's weapons. Deep enough to incapacitate him, not deep enough to have organs splattered everywhere. Just as well. Sora didn't much _feel _like killing anyone today. He spun on his heel and walked away, ignoring the strangled cry behind him. The Heartless would take care of this one easily enough.

Just as the castle was looming into view, Sora heard a frantic shout. He turned and his eyes widened. He had no time to defend himself. The keyblades fell to the ground, useless, as the massive Heartless slammed into his tiny body, knocking his breath away and swooping him high above the street. Sora struggled frantically, lungs screaming, consciousness slipping away as the monster crushed him in its fist. Just before he slid into the black, he faintly heard a voice say-

"Sora? SORA!"

A more immediate shout dragged Sora back into reality. His mind was swimming. What happened? He- he had _been_ Roxas. He thought of Riku and blanched.

"Sora, what's going on? You just fainted all of a sudden, I panicked, what are you- Sora?" Sora slid Riku's shirt up, revealing his stomach. He gently ran a finger over the scar. He had seen it so many times, and never even realized…

"I did this to you," Sora whispered. Riku's normally perfect poker face splayed itself into a mix of shock and fear that couldn't even be hidden by his awkward haircut. He paled more than usual.

"Sora, did you just-?" Riku's eyes widened more. His skin paled more. He was beginning to look a bit alien. "You said he tried to _kill _you once?" Sora's head was still spinning and he felt hot all over. He didn't understand what the huge deal was, honestly. Fatigue again?

"No, no, no. Nothing like that. I just, well, I passed out, in the World That Never Was, and he, uh, attacked me. With his keyblades." He was shivering from cold now. "I won though," he finished lamely. "It was just a dream."

"It's never just a dream," Riku muttered darkly. "Come on, we need to get you home. We'll talk about this later." He forced Sora up into sitting position.

"I don't wanna," Sora slurred stupidly, clinging to consciousness. His brain was fogging up, but not in a bad way. Just tired and unfocused. He leaned into Riku. Riku was nice.

"Come _on_, dumbass. Get up." When that tactic wasn't working, Riku dragged the smaller boy the few feet to the water and dunked his head in. Sora yelped and clawed at his face and arms, like a bug who didn't quite understand why he was suddenly salty and wet. But after a moment he seemed to come to his senses.

"Yeah, let's go home. I'm cold." Riku handed him his still-damp shorts and he pulled them on mechanically. They walked down to the dock and climbed in Riku's boat. The two boys sat in silence until they reached the main island.

Sora stared blankly at the water and wondered what had just happened, and why it frightened Riku so badly. He had had a dream, apparently. A dream about Roxas. No, it wasn't a dream- it was a _memory_. He had just been allowed venture inside Roxas's mind, at a time not long before it had ended with Sora. Why this memory, and why right now? His blonde alter-ego had been gone for years and nothing like this had ever happened. Except for the accident in the World That Never Was. Right after Axel had died for both of them.

_Axel._ The name made Sora's insides twist painfully. He had never quite accepted the wild redhead's sacrifice, or forgiven himself for allowing it to happen. _There had to be another way_. _He didn't have to die like that, fading away in a corridor between worlds, surrounded by enemies…_

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Did you just say something?"

"Oh, uh, no. No."

"Ok, then. We're here."

Sora found his clothes, and Riku insisted on walking him home to make sure he wouldn't faint again, despite Sora's whining that they could _see _his house from the dock. They stopped outside the front door and stared at the ground. Sora didn't know what to say. Thankfully, Riku was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Listen- you, uh, shouldn't be worried. I'm sorry I freaked out and I didn't mean to scare you and you're going to be perfectly fine," he stammered. Sora smiled a little. First he'd seen Riku's eyes bug out, and now word vomit! His cool and collected friend was rapidly losing his composure. He opened his mouth to tease him but was forced to gasp for air when Riku enveloped him in a huge, decidedly un-Riku-like bear hug. He opened his mouth again to ask Riku what he was doing, but was silenced by Riku's whispering in his ear. The hot breath made Sora shiver in all the wrong places.

"Please be ok. I know you will be." The concern in Riku's voice explained the contradiction between the two statements. Sora frowned. _Why is he so worried about me? I only fainted once._

Riku breathed. "Please be ok. I love you, Sora."

* * *

Whenever Sora had no idea what was going on, which was depressingly frequently even on the tiny islands, he went to Kairi. Right now, he was declaring a Kairi Emergency because he felt like he had just been run over by the crazy train. And then it backed over him and the crazy passengers threw their crazy free bags of crazy peanuts at him. Wait, no, people get those on planes.

"ARGH!" Sora let out a semi-articulate yell of frustration at his muddled thoughts and broke into a jog. After Riku disappeared, Sora had immediately raced back out of his house and set out for Kairi's. She could make up the lost sleep during the day, anyway. Her parents were out of town, which meant no chores. Hopefully she'd know how to process everything that had happened to him in the past couple hours.

Kairi was Sora's best friend in the world. Sure, he had known Riku longer, but he and Riku were a different kind of best friends. Sora and Kairi told each other _everything_. Their confessions had started unintentionally around age 12, when Kairi had discovered Sora's secret stuffed bunny collection. Sora loved his bunnies, but he was terrified that Riku would make fun of him, so he always kept them hidden under his bed. When Kairi accidentally pulled one out during a sleepover, Sora had cried and begged her not to tell anyone.

"It's ok, Sora. It could be way worse than bunnies- I mean, I fart all the time when I'm nervous." After realizing what she had said, Kairi's eyes widened and she whimpered a bit. Sora solemnly swore to protect her secret with his life, and then they both burst into a fit of giggles. And from then on, the two of them had shared everything with each other, from awkward back-ne outbreaks to horrifying tampon accidents, to bad dye jobs and bad test scores and all manner of adolescent insecurities.

Kairi's house, the home of the mayor of Destiny Islands, was a spacious but one-story bungalow, which had always made Kairi's room quite easy for the boys to access. Sora padded his way around to the familiar spot and tapped on her window. No response. As was the routine, he waited thirty seconds and tapped again. No response. Remembering that her parents were off on mayor business, and that he was rather distressed, he threw caution to the wind and started pounding on her window with his fists.

"God, I'm coming already! What the hell is wrong with you?" Kairi grumbled from inside. Sora remembered asking Riku the same question only a couple hours before. At the thought of his silver-haired friend, Sora's stomach leaped into action and did a few rather impressive back-flips. He shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Kairi, come on, open the window! This is a Kairi Emergency!" he rushed. He couldn't shake the feeling that Riku was watching him, despite objectively knowing that that was insane.

"I am _not _having your big slimy shoes all over my window seat again," she groused. "Come around to the front and come in the door. Radical concept."

Sora obliged, and was greeted by a sleepy girl holding a huge glass of what he was sure was heavily-caffeinated soda, because she hated the way coffee smelled. He smiled in spite of himself. Despite her disheveled hair, bleary eyes, and disgruntled expression, Kairi could never be anything but beautiful. She smiled back at him, and pulled him into a quick greeting half-hug.

"So, Kairi Emergency," she prompted, flopping down on a nearby sofa. "What could have possibly happened to you since we ate dinner together last night?" Sora considered a careful explanation, but with him bluntness always worked best.

"Riku told me he loves me," he blurted. Soda sprayed everywhere. Still beautiful.

"He _what?_" Kairi gasped, frantically cleaning up the mess with her pajama pants. "You mean like, 'You're my best friend, I love you' or like, sexy 'I love you'?"

"The second one," Sora said glumly. Kairi stopped cleaning and stared.

"When? And when did you guys get so serious?"

"Wha-!? We're _not _that serious! And it happened just now, I ran all the way here-"

"You _ran away from him_!?"

"NO!" Sora shouted, yanking at his hair. "I waited until he was gone and I didn't know what to do and I can't sleep so I came here and god, Kairi, you're supposed to tell me what to _do_!" The night had been too much for him. He was officially losing it.

Kairi opened her mouth to comment, then closed it again. She considered something for a moment, then quickly shook her head to herself.

"How…. How do you feel?"

"Confused," Sora admitted feebly after a brief thought. "Confused, and afraid of what his reaction will be now, when he finds out about, uh, you know…. yeah."

"He _doesn't know yet_!?" Kairi shrieked. Sora winced at the sudden loud noise. "You've been screwing both of us for _months _and you _never told Riku_!?" Sometimes he really hated Kairi's ability to interpret his mumbles and trail-offs. Why couldn't she have just innocently asked _"Find out about what, Sora?" _so that everyone could pretend that the problem didn't exist? Kairi sure was good at forcing Sora to face his douchebaggery. He deflated.

"No. We don't talk about that stuff." That was the best and the only excuse he could give.

How had it started? Sora had always kinda had a thing for Kairi and Kairi had always kinda had a thing for Sora. They both had kinda assumed they would get together after Sora had gone to the ends of the universe to find her. So when Sora returned to the Destiny Islands, he kissed her and it was kinda nice. After a couple months, on a sticky summer afternoon, they had decided to have sex. That was kinda nice too. Well, Sora had trouble getting it in and Kairi farted a few times. And then he came all over her sheets and Kairi made him do her laundry for a month. But they were together.

Then, as time went on, something inside Sora had shifted. He and Kairi had already come to terms with the fact that they were never going to have a dynamite sex life. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that Sora started to notice boys. One boy in particular. He eventually came to terms with the fact that he had a massive boy crush on his _other _best friend, the quiet tough guy with the battle scars and the beautiful silver hair.

Sora confessed to Kairi about his mild obsession and Kairi teased him and told him to go for it. After he and Riku hooked up, he told Kairi about it and she congratulated him. She and Sora both knew that what they had wasn't nearly special enough to be exclusive, so Kairi started pursuing other guys and Sora slipped further and further into his obsession with Riku. But for whatever reason they never actually stopped having sex. And since Riku already knew their relationship was over, it had never occurred to Sora to tell him that the physical part was still going strong.

"Sora…." Kairi gently interrupted his thoughts. She had noticed how guilty he felt and wasn't going to push, god bless her. "I've been worried about you for a while. You…. For a long time now, when we've had sex, it hasn't been about me, or even about you. When you come to me it's because you're tired or stressed or scared, and sex is the only way you know how to deal." She paused for a reaction, but Sora wouldn't give her one. "You've- you've been unhappy ever since we came back. I can tell. And sex makes you forget." A single tear slipped down Sora's cheek and he crumpled down to the floor.

Before he knew what was happening, soft fingers were wiping his tears away and gently meandering along his jaw. He sighed softly and Kairi took the opportunity to reach up for a chaste kiss. His arms extended and clumsily pulled her closer. The kiss deepened.

Sora gave up and collapsed bonelessly onto the ground. Kairi followed, shifting her weight on top of him. Her practiced hands slid up under his shirt, gently massaging his taught abs. When he moaned at the relaxing touch, Kairi gently slid her tongue into Sora's mouth, pushing the kiss open. She gently pushed her hips against him, coaxing his body to respond.

Dead tired. Sora had never been more exhausted in his life. Well, not recently. But despite his numb brain, his body responded eagerly to his friend's ministrations. The pleasurable feelings swept through his gut and up through his spine, settling his anxiety and releasing a groan of satisfaction. Kairi's hand was in his boxers, gently sliding up and down his swelling member. She'd already removed both of their pants, almost without his noticing.

Sora didn't have the energy to pay attention to himself. He just watched Kairi. She hadn't taken off her pajama tank top, and it hung from her frame. Her hips were snugly contained in a pair of plain cotton briefs. Clearly she hadn't been expecting an early-morning roll in the hay. The spontaneity was what Sora loved the most.

Kairi caught him peeking and gave him a smirk. Sora sleepily grinned back. Supporting her weight on the couch, she stole her hand from Sora's crotch, arched her back, and pushed her undies to the side. Sora gave a little silent thank-you to no one in particular- he was too beat down right now to deal with navigating a vagina. Kairi took a deep breath and slid two fingers inside of herself. Her thighs shuddered and her breath hitched. The thick smell filled the room as Kairi pushed against herself, preparing for what was going to happen in the not-too-distant future.

Sora grunted. "You sure don't need me…" He meant it as a joke, but it came out as a husky growl. Kairi giggled. Ok, so his sex voice needed some work.

"Oh, I most _definitely _need you," she smirked. She peeled his boxers off of his eager hips and stroked his tip with her wet fingers. As soon as she began to lower her head, Sora's hips bucked in anticipation. Kairi laughed at him.

"Whoa, cowboy. Hold your horses. Don't go off early on me," she grinned. Sora blushed.

"Oh, c'mon, Kai-ah!" Kairi suddenly dropped her head and took his entire length into her mouth, effectively shutting him up. His body was paralyzed. That girl was a _witch_. But he felt too warm and tingly all over to complain about it. Kairi spat and sucked and licked, making full use of her body's other natural lube. Sora's eyelids fluttered shut, his body stretched, his fingers dug into the thick living room carpet. Too soon it was over, but he knew what was coming next.

She lowered herself onto him slowly, feeling for her sweet spot. Her face was turned up, her eyes closed, an unreadable expression on her face. To reassure her, Sora reached up and gently massaged a circle in the small of her back. Kairi sighed and leaned forward, increasing her pace. Sora grabbed onto her hips and thrust into her. The two teenagers were too hot to last long. Within minutes Sora gasped, his gut seized up, and he cried out as he released, his thighs shaking violently. Kairi reached down and thumbed her clit, the tiny motion pushing her over the edge as well. They collapsed onto the floor, a knot of sweaty limbs and sticky clothes.

Sora held Kairi close while their heartbeats slowed and their breathing returned to normal. "Thanks, Kai," he murmured. His body was floating. The exhaustion had finally caught up to him. He was losing his grip on reality. Sleep was seeming pretty good right now.

"Hey, come on, we can't pass out on my living room floor," Kairi helped pull Sora upright. Just like Riku. "Pick up your clothes, let's go to my room."

The two best friends collapsed on Kairi's bed just as the first sunlight was shining through the windows.

* * *

Sora walked down the street, his feet padding softly against the brick. The sun was dipping out of sight, and the dusk stretched the shadows of the quaint buildings, leaving him in perpetual shade. Sora's eyes adjusted readily to the darkness. His feet knew exactly where to go.

The only sound was the bustle of a small tram, with no passengers. Everyone was inside already. Except Sora. He was going to meet his friends. He wasn't cold, or afraid; in fact, he felt nothing at all.

Sora turned a tight corner and walked out into the open town square. He'd have to cross it to get where he was going. The hazy air wrapped itself around his exposed body, prompting an involuntary shiver. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and tucked his face into the collar of his shirt. Despite the casual posture, his entire body was tensed, ready to defend himself from whatever might come at him in this wide open space.

Oversized feet shrouded by baggy khaki pants shuffled up to the bottom of the hill. Almost done. His friends would be up there. With renewed purpose, Sora started the ascent, the layers of darkness peeling away as he moved upwards. He had to get to the clock tower.

The black shop windows flashed shards of blonde hair and blue eyes into the street and sky, but Sora didn't notice. He reached the giant clock and began climbing the scaffolding, practiced limbs feeling out the sturdiest spots and pulling him higher and higher. Finally, he reached the top, and ventured over to the edge overlooking the sleepy town. His friends were here. Or, they should have been, but in their place was a lone figure shrouded in a familiar cloak. Sora frowned. This wasn't right.

"Are you my friend?" he demanded, the childlike quality of the question overshadowed by his tone. The cloaked creature turned to face him, and Sora could swear he heard a smile coming out of the black. Suddenly it was behind him, fingers digging into his biceps, preventing escape. Sora gazed down at the stone road, at least fifty feet below. He felt nothing.

"Do you feel Roxas?" the harsh voice hissed. And then he pushed. And Sora was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora's eyes shot open. His painful heartbeat tore him upright, clutching at his chest. Kairi stirred. Every chest muscle ached from exertion, the pain spreading into his arms and down through his back. Was he having a heart attack? His breath hitched at the thought, and he soon lost control. He was hyperventilating. His muscles started to tremble from lack of oxygen as his breath came shorter and shorter and he lost his ability to think. He was dimly aware of Kairi's rising up next to him.

"Sora, what….. oh my god! SORA!" Kairi was out of bed and pulling on an oversized t-shirt and jeans, not even bothering with underwear. She gathered up Sora's discarded clothing and tried to help him put it on. She did her best to calm down both of them in the process, with limited success.

"Sora, oh my god, what were you dreaming about? It doesn't matter, we need to get you to the hospital, I can carry you, just put your clothes on, put your clothes on and we'll go, it's going to be ok, you've been through worse, right? Right? Sora, please calm down, it'll be ok, we're taking you to the hospital, I'll call your mom, and Riku, we'll all be there, you'll be all right, no, your shirt goes like this, oh Sora, we shouldn't have had sex, you're a mess, sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, hurry Sora, we need to go to the hospital!" Kairi babbled frantically, pulling Sora's t-shirt over his head inside out and struggling with his shorts. Sora's mouth widened with gasps, and his lips were turning blue. He was shaking violently now, and his heart felt like it would explode.

Realizing that her chatter was making the problem worse, Kairi closed her mouth and settled for a deep hug. Sora crumpled into her, hiccupping uncontrollably. And then he passed out.

* * *

Sora awoke a bit later to the sound of a vicious fight.

_What the hell are you doing? You almost killed him! You almost killed __**me**__!_

_I did not! How was I supposed to know he'd have a goddamn panic attack? I thought y'all were made of tougher stuff than that!_

_Just get the fuck out!_

"Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"I called you as soon as I could- did you honestly think I wouldn't call his mom first? Just because _you _don't care about your parents-"

"This isn't _about_ me, I-"

"Don't interrupt! He was at my house and I called his mom because he passed out and _she _had the means to actually _get _him here! What would you have done in my situation? Tell me that, asshole, what would _you_ have done?"

"Hi, guys." Sora rasped. Kairi and Riku were immediately at the foot of his bed, wearing identical looks of concern. Sora had never noticed before how similar their haircuts were. He tried to giggle but his chest hurt too much, so it ended up as a miserable hiccup.

"I think the sedatives are kicking in," Riku observed. "How did you even wake up?"

"Do you feel ok?" Kairi quickly added.

"Yelling," Sora winced. His entire body ached and his heart was still pounding. Each breath was a struggle. "And, yeah, I'm ok."

"See, Kairi? You woke him up," Riku muttered. Kairi elbowed him in the ribs. Sora pondered for a moment. Last time he saw Riku he was stammering out his undying love, and last time he saw Kairi she'd been angry enough to punch him. Before the sex, of course. The relative normalcy of the situation was making him suspicious. He sighed, and shivered from stress. God, he could use some of that sex right now. Even with both of them, and with his being in too much pain to move.

"Your mom's here, Sora." Way to destroy a sick boy's fantasies. "The doctor just gave you a shot to calm you down and put you to sleep for a while. She went to get coffee, we weren't expecting you to wake up. She'll be back, I promise." Kairi held his hand to reassure him. Sora didn't notice, but Riku snorted with jealousy. The touch eased his physical longings somewhat.

"What, uh, happened? Am I in the hospital?" Sora asked stupidly. He knew he'd freaked out but after that everything went blank. And he definitely recognized the hospital. He'd been struck by just about every ailment and injury possible as a kid, and he had the scars to prove it.

"Yeah, you had a panic attack. But don't worry, it was just a nightmare," Kairi soothed. Riku snapped to attention at the word 'nightmare,' but wisely decided not to say anything. The medication was rushing through Sora's bloodstream and he was, for the umpteenth time in the past 24 hours, about to pass out.

"You should go to sleep, Sora," Riku said softly. "You have some catching up to do, yeah? Kai, can I talk to you about something?"

Kairi nodded, and gave Sora's hand a final squeeze. His two friends slipped back out into the hallway. Just as his mother returned and was making herself comfortable, he let sleep take him away.

* * *

Sora bit his lip and thrust harder. He hadn't been on top in a while, so he was going to make it count. The man beneath him moaned, his slender legs clenched around Sora's neck. They were rapidly approaching the finish line. Almost… almost… almost…!

"Ungh, Riku-!" Sora came in violent spasms, his entire body shaking with the force of his efforts. He pulled out and promptly collapsed, melting into the bed. Intense heat swept over his body, his muscles began to relax. He stretched out, satisfied, problems washed away. He felt so good that it actually took him a moment to realize that his partner hadn't come down to earth with him. "Hey-"

"_Riku_? Who the fuck is _Riku_?" Sora jerked upright and found himself face to face with-

"Axel!?"

"Yes. Axel. Who did _you _think you were screwing? Oh, wait, we just found out," he glared. The Nobody was exactly the same as Sora remembered him. His narrow face was framed by a wild mane of red hair, and the same dark tattoos punched out from his pale skin. He would have been beautiful, truly, if the unnatural color of his cat-like green eyes didn't betray his somewhat-other-than-human status. Sora shuddered and struggled to think of something that rhymed with 'Riku.'

"W-what are you talking about? I thought you said 'that feels so good' and I said 'ungh, me too'……" Sora trailed off as he realized that Axel wasn't buying it. Shit.

"You didn't answer my question," Axel was deadly quiet. "Who is Riku?"

"He's… a friend," Sora said evasively. Well, not so evasively, since it was the truth. Wait, why was he being evasive?

"A friend who you have sexy fantasies about? Or a friend you've had sexy sex with?" Oh, that was it. _This _guy was trying to accuse _Sora_ of _cheating_?

"It's not like you haven't slept around, either! God, you fucked _Luxord_! And don't play dumb, jackwipe, everyone knows about it-" Axel took his accusation and raised him a lamp to the side of the head. Sora dodged the attack by clumsily dropping down onto his stomach. His body was still sluggish from the orgasm and the heat.

"Oh, yeah? Well at least _I_ have the common fucking courtesy not to think of two dames in the middle of one kiss!" Axel snarled. Sora decided to bypass mocking Axel's choice of words, and instead went straight for his girly voice.

"Ohhh, Luxord!" he sang shrilly. "Ohhh, yeah, harder, Luxy, you make me _feeel_-"He avoided a second lamp swing by rolling onto the floor with a thump. You know, maybe he had taken this a little too far. He knew better than anyone that Axel was _dangerous. _At this point, he supposed that his only hope was that he didn't actually want to kill him.

Sora shrieked as a chakram slammed into the ground next to his head. He narrowly dodged the second by throwing himself further to the side. In the instant while Axel was recovering his weapons, Sora sprang to his feet, summoned both his keyblades, and in one swift motion, disarmed his erstwhile lover. The chakrams clattered uselessly to the floor.

"_Dammit_, Axel!" he yelled. The red-head spat in his face and set his feet on fire. Sora collapsed with a howl. Axel hastily grabbed a chakram and hurled it, missing everything vital by a wide berth but leaving Sora with a deep, bloody gash on his right bicep. Using his good arm, Sora grabbed Oblivion and lunged. He slammed a foot down on Axel's last remaining weapon, ignoring the pain from his burn and the sharp metal, and swung the keyblade around to rest harshly against Axel's throat.

"_Dammit_, Axel!" he screamed again. "_This_! _This_ _is_ Riku!" He jostled Oblivion to show what he was referring to, opening a small cut on Axel's neck in the process. His head was aching. Everything was muddled. "He's a memory, but it's not mine! It's my Other-" His vision was blurring. "I don't know! Something happened but it wasn't me, it _was_ me, but not me, my Other. God. I don't know why, but Riku… When I hold this key, I _feel _him." The tears flowed free. "The memory… it's not mine." Oblivion dropped to the ground. "Not mine."

Axel stared at him blankly. Sora sighed. He probably got lost at the F-word. Glaring, he grabbed his robe, hastily wrapped it around his naked body, and summoned a portal. Axel snapped out of his funk and jumped into action.

"Wait! Rox-" Too late. Sora had already stepped into the World That Never Was. He hadn't known where else to go. But someone else seemed determined to finish Axel's thought.

"Roxas." Sora smiled, and didn't turn around.

"Hello, Riku."

* * *

"Uh, hi, Sora. You awake?" Sora blinked in surprise before realizing that he was back in his other life. The one where he most definitely was _not _screwing Axel. Thank God. His crotch felt sticky, though. Crap.

"Sora?" He turned to look at Riku. His head was still swimming from the drugs, but he wasn't in pain anymore, and he couldn't help but smile at the concern on his friend's face.

"Dude, Riku! Roxas and Axel were sex partners! And they got in a huge fight because…" He looked at Riku. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, exposing his expression. Which was, once again, all fear and worry, and a solid blush at the phrase 'sex partners.' Sora frowned. "Riku… where's Kairi?"

"Right here, Sora. We've got a problem." She said grimly. Riku nodded in agreement.

"What? I mean, I'll be out of the hospital tomorrow….." When his friends didn't respond, he realized what they meant. Roxas. They had a Roxas problem. He sighed. "We have a Roxas problem."

"Sora… Riku told me what happened on the beach. And nothing like this has _ever_ happened to me with Naminé. She's gone, Sora. And Roxas should be too." Kairi knitted her brows, the way she did when she was deep in thought. "Do you have any idea why this is happening to you? Do you think he's… trying to speak to you, or something?"

"No. There's no message. Just memories. I don't think they're even related."

"Does he… ever talk to you directly? Try to make you do things?" Riku asked carefully.

"No. We don't talk. They're memories- I don't watch Roxas, I _am _Roxas."

"Sora, you-" Riku began, but Kairi quickly cut him off. The uneasiness between his two friends, combined with their apparent lack of concern with the problems from yesterday, was continuing to make Sora uneasy. Considering that even vivid dreams about naked wrestling with dead people were not enough to make Sora uneasy, this was quite an accomplishment. He decided to ask what was going on.

"Hey. What's going on with you two?" The two teens jumped up in shock, again with the identical facial expressions. That was getting creepy, too. They exchanged a look and seemed to nonverbally decide that Kairi should be doing the talking.

"Sora, you need to start at the beginning and tell us everything that's happened to you," Kairi said gently, smoothly avoiding Sora's question. "On the beach with Riku, you just passed out suddenly, but yesterday you had a dream while you were asleep."

"And he had that dream just now, too," Riku added hastily. "About Axel."

"Everything, Sora. We need to know what's going on. Between us, we can figure it out." Kairi reached out and took Sora and Riku's hands in her own. Sora and Riku joined their remaining hands automatically, just as they had done so many times as children. Sora couldn't help but feel tears gather up behind his eyes. Kairi was furious with him and Riku was in love with him, but when it came down to it, they were a team. The three of them were forever.

He thought carefully about how he was going to approach the subject of his, for lack of a better word, visions, and took stock of what he had. One vision where Roxas actually spoke to him directly, and attacked him. The dream in Twilight Town was on the fence- it had elements of both a message and a memory, so he wasn't sure how to classify it. He would ask Kairi. He'd been attacked in that dream as well. And then there were his two separate memories- the fight, then Axel. Sora frowned. The only common thread seemed to be violence. Well, and the repeated mentions of Riku. Wait, Riku?

"The first time it happened was in the World That Never Was. Roxas showed up in my head and fought me. But according to Donald and Goofy, I just passed out. Then there was that conversation that Roxas and Naminé had that you were both there for. Nothing happened from then until yesterday. The dream on the beach, and just now, were both Roxas's memories- and, both of them mentioned Riku." Riku startled at this, and Kairi was intently jotting something down in a small notebook she had brought along.

"And the dream before you had the panic attack?" Kairi inquired, looking and sounding for all the world like a crack investigative journalist. Sora had hoped they'd go in depth about why Roxas was dwelling on Riku, but no such luck. It was as if Kairi had deliberately not heard his last phrase at all.

"That one was weird. I think I was Roxas, but I was just walking through Twilight Town. Then someone shoved me off the clock tower." Kairi oohed. "He said, uh, asked, 'Do you feel Roxas?'" Riku startled at this as well. Kairi finished her notes.

"Thanks, Sora, you just relax for a sec. Now, Riku, it's your turn to tell us what all of those little jumps were," she smiled toothily. Like a shark. A crack investigative journalist shark.

"Well, when, uh. Wait. Sora should plug his ears," The other two blinked. "My talking about Roxas set off a memory before. We don't want that happening again." Kairi nodded in agreement.

"All right, Sora, plug 'em up." The boy grudgingly obliged, curious but not especially wanting to get sick again, and watched Riku whispering to Kairi while she wrote. She gave him the thumbs up when she was ready.

"Now, Riku's given me some information, but we're not sure how your dream about Axel relates to him." Her voice was getting more and more businesslike, and Sora was beginning to suspect that she was enjoying this more than she should. Sora rolled his eyes. Well, he might as well enjoy this, too.

"I already told him that Roxas and Axel were having sex." Riku turned pink. "I was on top-" Riku turned red. "And just as I was about to come-" Riku turned violet. "I, well, Roxas, cried out Riku's name instead of Axel's!" Kairi burst out laughing and Riku looked like death. Sora grinned wickedly. He wasn't sure if Riku knew that Kairi knew they'd been sex buddies for months, but hey, he'd have to find out eventually.

"W-was that the whole dream?" Riku whimpered.

"Nope. Axel freaked out and attacked me with a lamp. I eventually fought him off and told him that you were a memory from me. Uh, real me, not Roxas me. Then I stormed off and…." Sora frowned. Something was odd here. "…. met you."

"Wait, you _met _Riku?" Kairi gasped. "Plug your ears again!"

"He doesn't have to do that, Kairi. He was probably remembering the first time we met, right before the other flashback he had…" Riku, Riku of all people, sounded a tad unsure of himself.

"… No." Sora said slowly. "For the fight I definitely had clothes on under my robe. And, in this flashback, I already knew your name."

"Well… we fought a few times, it could have been any one of them."

"You never told me you fought more than once!" Sora's voice rose slightly. He was surprised and hurt, and had no idea why this revelation was upsetting him so badly. Unfortunately, Kairi sensed his distress and cut them off prematurely.

"Hey. No fighting. Sora needs to rest. Do you want to keep going? Sora..?"

"No, I think I want to sleep now." Sora said dully. Riku wasn't being completely honest with him. Maybe if he were unconscious, his brain would give him some explanations. Riku looked troubled, as well. He gave Sora an apologetic glance, said his goodbyes, and left in a hurry. Kairi stuck around.

"Listen, Sora… go easy on Riku. He's worried, the time when he knew Roxas isn't comfortable for him to even think about, and.. to be honest, your whole situation is reminding him painfully of the A-word. He's terrified you're going to go off the deep end."

"Psh. As if." Sora yawned. He accepted that he wasn't being sensitive enough about Riku's own experiences with body-sharing, though. He made a mental note to apologize whenever he saw his friend next. Kairi's voice trembled a bit, but she was determined.

"Hey. I want to do an experiment. Since you want to go to sleep anyway, and you'll probably dream either way… it won't be a big deal if you pass out…?" she paused, waiting for a reaction from Sora. He just stared. "I won't do it if you don't want to. But… I want to tell you what Riku told me. And see if it triggers you."

"What?"

"Based on what he told me… I can't tell if the trigger on the beach was Riku himself, or just talking about memories of Roxas. Especially considering that he's shown up in another memory." Sora nodded. "So, I'm going to read you my notes, and see if you, er, freak. Ready?" She seemed unsure of herself- she was obviously worried that Sora would have another panic attack. Sora himself was a tad apprehensive, but the logic was sound, and they had to start somewhere. Plus, he was already in the hospital, which would save them a trip. He smiled to reassure her.

"Yep. Hit me."

"Well. He thinks that the dreams about him are just because both you and Roxas know him, so those memories are the most accessible to you." She waited a few moments, and when Sora didn't seem to be going anywhere, breathed a sigh of relief. "And, apparently 'Do you feel Sora?' is something he said to Roxas while Roxas was trapped in Twilight Town, while you were recovering. And Roxas also had an episode where he thought he was falling off a clock tower." She paused again. Sora remained comfortably among the land of the waking. "Also, Roxas talked to me once while he was in Twilight Town. Something going on with you gave us a telepathic connection, and he was all 'Oh, Kairi. You're that girl he likes.'" Sora looked at her like she was an idiot. Well, that answered that question.

"Riku," they both said in unison.

"He's the trigger," Sora breathed.

"Sure seems that way," Kairi agreed.

"What are we going to do? I can't just _avoid _him…"

"I'm sure he's still waiting outside with your mom. I'll tell him what we just found out, and ask if he has any ideas," Kairi bit her thumbnail. "And I'll see if I can get any more out of him about his fights with Roxas."

"Thanks, Kairi," Sora said softly. Well, wasn't this new food for thought. But his medications and the excitement of the hour were taking their toll, and Roxas was gently pulling him towards sleep. He could eat his thought-food in the morning.

"Bye, Sora. Sweet dreams."

* * *

Sora dreamt of Axel. Axel's voice, Axel's hands, Axel pushing him roughly to wake him up. He woke up and there was Axel, just like usual. Wait, what?

"Shhh, kiddo, no need to freak out," Axel grinned. Sora was too tired to process what was going on. Didn't this guy die?

"You died. I watched you die." Sora said blankly. Axel chuckled darkly at the words, for no apparent reason at all. Wait, how did he get into the hospital? And then the panic set in. Unfortunately, Sora's facial expressions gave him away, and no sooner had he sat up to yell than Axel had already clapped a gloved hand over his mouth.

"I got into your 'hospital' because your tiny island clinic can't afford more than one security guard," he said smugly. "And, I'm here because I made a promise to a someone." Confident that Sora would remain silent, he removed his hand from the boy's mouth and nudged his chin upward. Axel studied Sora's face for a good, long moment, taking in every line and curve, every shape, every texture and color. "You really do look like him," he murmured.

"Roxas. You mean I look like Roxas." Sora hissed. Axel tilted his head, his long spikes swishing freely, taking something or other into consideration.

"No," he finally said. "you don't. You need to be more mad at me for waking you up, and swear like a drunken pirate."

"How can I _look _like I swear like a drunken pirate?"

"Oh, trust me. Rox can do it." Sora stayed very still. The last time he'd met Axel, the red-head had tried to kill him, even if it was just a dream. The last time he had _really _met Axel, he had sacrificed himself to save him. Guessing Axel's moves was too difficult, and he wasn't willing to take any risks. You don't get the word 'flurry' in your title by being a fair and methodical arbiter of pain and punishment. Luckily, said flurry had no interest in Sora at all, and was completely focused on something behind his eyes.

"Hey, Rox. Can you hear me? I came," he whispered, almost gently. "I didn't leave you behind, just like we promised." His gloves were off and he was stroking Sora's hair. Sora was more than a little creeped out, but again, no sudden movements. He felt like he was trapped in a cave with a bear.

"This- isn't a dream. This is real. You're actually here." Sora squeaked. He had been hoping that he was asleep, but considering that Axel had acknowledged his existence… no, things were not looking good.

"Yep. Actually here. In the flesh." As if to demonstrate his fleshiness, Axel pulled Sora into a light embrace. Sora twitched, but otherwise remained perfectly still. The heat radiating off the red-head's body was so intense that he almost couldn't breathe. How could anyone stand it? Well, apparently Roxas could, but that wasn't a talent he seemed eager to share with his better half. The awkward hug continued for what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes. Sora wasn't so good with time.

"Axel." he choked. "How did you come back?" Maybe if he distracted him with asinine questions, he would _let him go_.

"My heart pulled me out of the darkness," he answered simply.

"You don't _have _a heart," Sora said flatly before realizing the mistake he'd made. Axel stiffened. Apparently he'd bought into his own delusion for a little while, and thought he'd been cuddled up with the real Roxas. Oops.

"Yes, I do," Axel said coldly. The air temperature dropped too, for which Sora was grateful. "It's trapped in here." He pushed a finger roughly against Sora's chest. "And I came back for it."

"What are you going to do, then? Rip it out of me?" So much for caution. He was sweaty, sick and exhausted. Axel smiled grimly.

"If that's what it takes." The ice in Axel's voice was enough to make Sora want to curl up and whimper like a scared puppy. But thankfully, years of dealing with homicidal monsters had schooled him in not taking their threats too seriously, and he managed to keep his head. _He _had the power, here. He had, for all intents and purposes, a hostage. The thought gave him confidence. The power bubbled up through him, remade his insides in steel. _No one _threatens Sora. _No. One._

"That would kill Roxas, too," he warned dangerously. For the first time, he met Axel's eyes. The green hardened- Axel had long since lost his playfulness. This was hardball.

"Not if I removed it through other, ah, _supernatural_ means, dearie," Axel was heating up again, but Sora was no longer crushed against his chest, so it was manageable. Barely.

"I'd like to see you _try_ to send a Heartless after me. I mean, seriously. Try it. I could use a fucking _laugh_," Sora growled. He was glaring at Axel with everything he could muster. Every hair was on end, even the spikes on his head trying to bore themselves into the Nobody. His entire body was charged with one purpose. _Get rid of __**Axel**_. This, _this_ was Sora the Keyblade Master. To add teeth to his threat, he held out his hand, prepared to summon his weapon. Much to his surprise, Axel smiled.

"There you go. _That's _how you look like you swear like a drunken pirate." He grinned wolfishly. "You're just so _sexy _when you're mad, Roxas."

Sora bellowed with rage and hurled his entire body at Axel, keyblade forgotten. At an advantage because of his height and health, Axel simply grabbed the smaller boy's arms and stood up, lifting him a few inches off the ground and effectively stopping him. Sora kicked and flailed, but Axel was able to hold him there without too terribly much difficulty. Talk about embarrassing.

"Oh, Rox. I'm not going to tear anyone's heart out," Axel reassured him, still smiling. "I _am _going to break you out of there, though. And trust me, this time, nothing'll get in my way."

"You gave your life for me, Axel," Sora bit out. "And I appreciate it. But that does _not _mean I'm going to return the favor."

"Psh. Who's asking for favors?" Axel tossed him back on the hospital bed and snapped his fingers, summoning a portal. The blackness seemed to drain all of the light and energy out of the small room. Sora felt dizzy. "'Til next time." Axel blew a kiss and winked, and was gone.

* * *

Sora felt like his brain had been mixed with some rum, blended to a thick liquid, and then served over ice to a group of underage sorority girls. He wondered briefly how much of the turmoil he was feeling belonged to Roxas, but didn't really have the time to be concerned with his Nobody. He needed the cavalry, and _fast_. And cavalry to him always meant Riku. Besides, Riku had some kind of connection to Roxas that may come in handy. Neither of them had ever fought Axel, though. Sora bit his lip. Roxas had, apparently loads of times- he'd have to go on that.

Battle tactics and weapon moves rushed through Sora's mind as he made his way out of the hospital. Axel had been right about the one security guard. Though since he had used portals to get in and out, the comment had clearly been meant as a jab against the Islands. Sora seethed. He hadn't had to fight, _really _fight, in over a year. After everything they'd been through, sparring with Riku was just too _real_, and no one else on the island could come close to matching their abilities. So he'd just given it up. He'd never given it a second thought, until he got attacked by a dead somewhat-other-than-person in a hospital. Thank God for the permanent Keyblade Bearer combat readiness.

Sora arrived at Riku's house after three and a half minutes of barefoot running. There had been no time to look for his clothes in his hospital room, and his gown wasn't leaving much to the imagination. At least it was dark, so no one was freaking out and calling the cops on the streaking possibly-intoxicated teenager. Sora grabbed Riku's spare key from under the mat and let himself inside. Riku's room was upstairs, first door on the left. And he was still awake.

"Sora!? What…." Riku was shocked, and Sora was grim. Weird role reversal. It was easy to imagine how frightening he looked- he hadn't bathed or had a full meal in two days, the sweat from running was making his gown stick to his body in odd places, and he had just been in a fight with a ghost.

"I know, Riku. I'm supposed to avoid you. But we've got a bigger problem," Riku's eyes widened, but he was listening. "Axel. Real Axel, not dream Axel. Real, living, in-the-flesh not-dead Axel just showed up in my hospital room." Riku gaped. "He wants Roxas back." These last words were too much for Sora, and his voice broke. He didn't _want _to hold his Nobody hostage- he wanted to _meet_ him, more than anyone. But there was nothing he could do. Sometimes life sucks, sometimes life isn't fair, and that was that.

Riku moved to embrace him, hesitated, and settled for helping him sit down on the bed. Sora was disappointed- he desperately needed a hug. Riku pulled out some of his old clothes and tossed them over, politely turning his back while Sora changed out of his hospital gown. Sora smiled. If nothing else, Riku was always a gentleman.

"Tell me what happened. _How _does Axel plan to get Roxas out of you?" The boys only knew of one way. The way that made it happen last time- being turned into a Heartless. Sora nodded in confirmation.

"He wants to send a _Heartless _after you? That's stupid," Riku said flatly. "And where would he even find one powerful enough to fight _you_, and how would he get it _here_?"

"I don't know- one of those portal things! I don't know!"

"That's not how it works, Sora," he snapped. Suddenly Sora remembered his self-reminder to apologize for being insensitive.

"Riku, I'm sorry, I-"

"No _time_, Sora." He averted his eyes. "There are other ways to turn someone into a Heartless. You know that as well as I do. Try to remember what you talked about."

Sora nodded absently. He _was_ forgetting something- something important. Axel had come after him before, right? … oh. Oh. _Oh._

"_Kairi_! Riku, we need to get to Kairi! Oh, God, we need to get to her right now-"

"Kairi? Why- oh. _Oh_!"

* * *

Hope you like! Let me know what you think! Upon re-read there's a lot of Spike from Buffy in my Axel... hmm. (His line "I made a promise to a someone" is a call-back to Spike's "I made a promise to a lady." And "...think of two dames in the middle of one kiss!" is from How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, the musical. It was the first thing I thought of, and I tried and tried and couldn't think of anything that would better encapsulate what Axel was saying, lol!) And y'all can probably guess at least one pairing that's coming up, yeah?


	3. Chapter 3

"Kairi? KAIRI!" Sora was, for the second night in a row, pounding on his friend's bedroom window. He was beginning to feel an odd bit of déjà vu, or like he was running around in circles. Home, Riku, Kairi, Hospital, Riku, Kairi. Maybe he was trapped in some sick kind of vicious, endless cycle. Riku leaned against the wall, on edge but content to let Sora do the grunt work. Sora remembered why he'd been here the last time, and his stomach grew little butterfly wings and twisted around in a little butterfly loop.

"God, Riku! I told you Sora would be fine, he's in the hosp- Sora!?" Kairi's face appeared in the window. "Sora, get back in the hospital! Riku's gonna freak the hell out! And you know what happens then? He comes to _me_ to _bitch about it_."

"Bigger problems, Kairi." Riku stepped into her view, seemingly eager to cut her off. He ignored her 'oh!' of surprise. "Have you seen Axel?"

"Um. The dead guy?"

"Yeah, the dead guy."

"No… I mean, isn't he, you know… dead?"

"Not as much as we might hope," Sora muttered. Kairi understood, and hastily ran around to let the two boys into her house. Drinks were passed around- water for Sora ("You're still sick!"), soda for Kairi, and black coffee for Riku. They settled in the living room. Sora remembered what had gone on in here the last time he'd come to see Kairi, and got lost in his memories a bit before she smacked him, with a subtle head jab at Riku to remind him to get a grip. He blushed and quickly summarized his hospital encounter. Much to his surprise, Kairi didn't seem to have any concern for herself at all. Since she was ok, he decided not to press the matter, and instead listened attentively while she pounded him for details of Axel's threats.

"He wants Roxas back? That's insane." Kairi focused her eyes intently on nothing in particular, another deep-in-thought habit. "Roxas is gone. And he says it was _Roxas_ who brought him back from the dead? And referred to him as his 'heart'? He doesn't _have_ a heart. Maybe he's just gone stark raving mad."

Riku sighed and started on his third cup of coffee. "Oh, 'cause being chased by a _delusional crazy_ _person_ who can blow you up with his mind is just _so_ much better." He was playing with his hair and drumming his fingers on his mug, and seemed even more jumpy than he had been outside. _He's just worried about me_, Sora thought with a little smile. He liked it that Riku was worried about him. Wait, _blow you up with his mind_!?

"He can do that!?" Sora squeaked.

"Yeah, you were there. He- oh. Castle Oblivion. I'll tell you later. I promise." Riku was sincere, and rested his hand on Sora's shoulder reassuringly. Sora remembered Riku's love declaration, and shivered a little. Hurt, Riku pulled his hand away. Sora mentally kicked himself.

"Wait." Both boys turned and looked at Kairi. "Sora met Axel in Castle Oblivion?" Sora shook his head- he had no memories of his time there. He wouldn't even believe he had gone if he didn't trust Riku's word completely. For all he knew, he'd fathered a set of long-lost twins or something.

"He must have." Riku said finally. "All I know for sure is that Sora was there when Axel took out Vexen." The other two looked confused. "Number 4," he clarified.

"He was killing other Organization members?" Kairi asked curiously. Sora ducked out of the conversation. Every time the subject of Castle Oblivion came up, a loud buzzing started bouncing around between his ears and wouldn't go away. His head was beginning to ache.

"Yeah- he was an assassin. His job was weeding out disloyalty…" Riku trailed off as he realized that this was probably not the best path to take the conversation down. He diverted his eyes into his bangs, retreating into his stronghold of standoffishness. Sora silently agreed with him. Knowing that Axel had been a professional murderer among murderers was not doing anything to settle his nerves. But he was Sora the Keyblade Bearer, and he'd apparently faced Axel loads more times than he'd thought and still lived to tell the tale. He'd do it again. Time for a plan.

"Ok, guys. So far we've got that I'm being targeted by a possibly insane former assassin dead not-person who can fry people up with his brain, and whose only goal is something that probably doesn't exist, but that is trapped inside my body." Well, when you put it that way, he was starting to freak out a little more. But he pressed on. "Any ideas as to what we're actually going to_ do_? I mean, he's going to come after Kairi again, right?" Kairi jumped.

"Are you serious? … You guys ran all the way here to rescue me?" Sora and Riku looked at each other, then sheepishly back at Kairi. "Wow. Thanks, guys," she smiled. "I don't think Axel is a one-trick pony though, and kidnapping me kinda backfired on him last time. I don't think it's me we've got to worry about," she added, looking meaningfully at Sora.

"Well, there goes our only lead," Riku groaned. Sora imagined him groaning in, ah, other contexts. The stuff dreams are made of. Wait.

"What about the dreams?"

Kairi eyes widened, and she snapped her fingers, in a rather clichéd Eureka! moment. She loved those. "The dreams! You had a dream about Axel! Do you think he was the one trying to talk to you….?" She paused for thought. "No, no- he's been trying to talk to Roxas! And that's what's bringing up all these memories!" She grinned, triumphant at having solved the puzzle. "That has to be it!"

Riku was skeptical. "Are you sure? I mean… I thought we decided _I_ was the one triggering him." He gave Sora an apologetic glance.

"Well, that was before we knew Axel was involved," she jabbered excitedly. "Though I suppose it wouldn't hurt to find out for sure. Sora, you up for another experiment?" Sora shrugged. Nothing bad had happened the last time, so why not? Riku, on the other hand, was less than pleased.

"No," he said flatly. "I am _not_ doing anything that might knock Sora out. Not while there's a psycho out there trying to kill him." He spun Sora around to face him, and focused on something deep behind his eyes. Was Roxas really that easy to see? "Hey, Roxas, you hear me? If you're really in there, tell your boy-toy to back the fuck off."

Sora swayed uneasily. A pulse had beat through his brain at the word 'Roxas' and everything was fading, gray and dull. Bile rose in his throat.

"I already did…." he whispered. He was dimly aware of Riku's shout as he slumped into the couch and let the world melt away.

* * *

Sora was back in the World That Never Was. The bad lighting and air of malaise were becoming familiar now, almost homey. He knew these streets, and he knew where he was going. He was headed back towards the castle. The weather was nice, well, as nice as weather can be in the World That Never Was, and he had some extra time, so Sora had opted for walking instead of the usual portal. Big mistake.

"Roxas." You didn't get mysterious strangers often in the World That Never Was, for damn good reason. This guy should be dead already, or worse.

"Uh, hi. Who the hell are you?"

"Riku." Riku. The name stirred up something deep inside him, like hearing a song you haven't heard since childhood. Nostalgia? Nobodies didn't have nostalgia.

"Riku." Sora repeated slowly. "Nice name. Very… earthy." He smiled at his own joke.

"Roxas. I've been waiting to meet you." Sora took a moment to size up the newcomer. He wore a robe like the members of Organization XIII, but something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Breathing deeply, he took in the man's scent, and confirmed his suspicion.

"You have a heart." It was more of a question, but Sora was too surprised to deal with voice inflection.

"Yep. So do you." Riku took a step forward. Sora didn't flinch. He was too curious to run away, and besides, he could take anyone in a fight. Riku kept moving forward until they were face-to-face. He reached up, and pushed back his hood.

Sora tried to hide a sharp intake of breath. The stranger was a boy- he could hardly have been older than Sora himself. A thick, unkempt mane of silver hair tumbled out of his hood. His eyes were hidden by both a layer of choppy bangs and a blindfold. Whoever this guy was, he was desperately trying to become invisible.

"You don't look like him," Riku said bluntly. Sora blinked. A boy with a heart shows up in the World That Never Was, in an Organization robe, and starts chatting up Organization members in the street. Who _was_ this guy?

"Don't look like who?" He quirked an eyebrow. The tiny motion seemed to break down some of Riku's defenses.

"You don't look like.. You. The other you. Opposite of Nobody. Somebody? I don't know what you people call them." Sora stared.

"My Other? You knew my Other?" Sora's Other had been quite a taboo subject ever since he had arrived in Organization XIII. Unlike the other members, he had no memories of his time as a human. No one would tell him why. Whenever he asked questions, at best everyone would change the subject, and at worst he'd get beaten up. They wouldn't even tell him his name. So he'd decided that Aros was his favorite option. Aros the Other. And if this guy knew Aros, Sora was willing to stick around.

"I _know_ your Other," Riku corrected softly. "And you don't look like him. You're not like him at all." An uneasy silence settled between them.

"What did you mean… when you said I had a heart?" Sora asked finally. That was the Organization's raison d'être, after all. Reclaim their hearts. If he already had one, he could be done with these kooks. His hope must have been showing on his face, because Riku laughed a little. Sadly.

"You have Sora's heart." Well, ok, then. Not exactly what Sora wanted to hear.

"Who the hell's Sora?"

"Your Other." Damn. Sora was one of his _least_ favorite options. What was up with these people and their weird-ass nature names? He looked back at Riku. The boy seemed troubled.

"How did you know him?" Sora wanted to know. His Other haunted him. He needed to know as much as he could, even stupid details. Riku was his only shot at answers.

"He _is_ my best friend." Sora ignored Riku's repeated use of the present tense. _Best friend_. Axel was Sora's best friend. That meant that they were together all the time. How did his Other become a Heartless if he had a best friend? Riku saw that Sora was confused, and smiled. "You wouldn't understand."

Sora was indignant. "I just so happen to have a best friend, too, asshole."

"Really. Who?"

"Axel." Riku's eyebrows raised, and he seemed to be making a mental note. Sora was getting bored with this guy.

"Tell me about my Other," he commanded. He had an army of Nobodies and Heartless at his disposal- why should he bother being polite?

"Why don't you just come meet him?" Sora stared. Not the answer he had been expecting. Other meant dead. Deceased. Not-among-the-living.

"What? How-"

"Roxas… I need you to come with me." Riku was nervous. The non-sequitur and the hitch in his voice showed that clear enough for even a Nobody to notice.

"What?"

"Your Other is… still alive. And I need you to come with me." Riku's sudden awkwardness was making Sora suspicious. He could tell that Riku wasn't making eye contact, even through the blindfold.

"Why?"

"I'll take you by force, if I have to." Now Sora was alert, and on the defensive. This guy had survived the World That Never Was without losing his heart. Better safe than sorry. His hands itched for keyblades.

"I'll take you by force," Riku repeated more quietly, "but I really don't want to. So please, come with me." His voice was wavering, as if he were about to cry.

"Will you really? But you're so _sad_," Sora smirked. Laughing at emotions was such standard operating procedure in the Organization, it was a force of habit, even if it didn't quite make sense. He wasn't really used to being around people with hearts.

"How would you even know?" Well played, Riku. But truth be told, Sora _did_ know. Because _he_ felt sad, too. Being around Riku was dredging up a lot of subconscious mess that was probably better left un-dredged. _His Other was still alive._

"I just do." Sora had no memories of why, but he knew that the thought of fighting Riku made him unbearably, cripplingly unhappy. If this was a preview of what having a heart was like, he was amazed that the living were able to function at all.

"You're a Nobody. You wouldn't know sad if it punched you in the kidney." Sora seethed.

"I know… because I don't want to fight you, either." Sora confessed angrily, surprising himself. "The thought of it makes me… sad." Riku startled, and Sora didn't look up to catch his facial expression. He was too embarrassed. Admitting to having feelings was kind of like admitting to having toenail fungus or backne.

"Sora…" Riku whispered. Sora blinked. Was _that _what that was? Was his Other… _communicating_ with him somehow? Trying to speak to Riku?

Before Sora knew what was happening, the strange boy had pulled him into a deep embrace. Riku seemed so desperate, Sora didn't have the heart to struggle. Ha. Funny expression.

"You… smell like the darkness," Riku murmured, disappointment lingering on his breath. Then he tipped Sora's chin up and kissed him. Sora gasped in surprise, and Riku deepened the kiss. The movements were gentle, but the need behind them was so intense that it cut through the dark. The cry reverberated through the empty chambers where Sora's heart should have been, recalling the echo of a memory so distant that there were no words left to describe it. Tears poured out of Sora's eyes and his knees gave out beneath him. He was too overwhelmed to breathe.

"Sora…" Riku was crying too as he caught Sora and lowered them both to the ground. His hands caressed Sora's slender body, sliding under the layers of robes to explore every curve. Sora kissed back frantically, unsure of himself and yet sure all at once. He was familiar with the electric thrill of sex- to him and Axel, sex was a drug- but this, this was different. The thrill was not his own. Sora himself was cold. The pleasure, the joy, the sadness and anger, the envy and the confusion, they all belonged to someone else. They spoke to him from somewhere distant, faint and warm. He was getting his first glimpse through the looking-glass.

Sora cried out as Riku entered him. The sensations were multiplied tenfold by the emotional nightmare swirling inside of him. Was this… was _this_ what having a heart was like? If feeling with this intensity precluded having a heart, then Sora and the other Nobodies were no more than dumb animals. Sick, heartless animals, lost in the shadow of life. He sobbed and howled, in pleasure and pain, letting the waves of emotion carry him away from himself. The skies opened; Riku leaned forward to shield Sora's tiny body from the rain. This was the end.

After they had finished, Riku disappeared. Sora lay in the mud, letting the rain beat him, too tired to move. He felt nothing. Nothing at all.

* * *

"Kairi- he's waking up." Sora heard a relieved voice as he rose out of his dream. His face was wet, presumably with tears, and he felt a familiar sticky sensation in his pants. He wondered briefly how much of that dream had been broadcast to his friends. Both Riku's eyes and his cheeks were red and puffy. Probably all of it, then.

"God, Sora, we were so worried- you wouldn't wake up- you were shaking and sobbing and crying out for Riku- and then you started having a goddamn _orgasm_- Sora, what the hell happened?" Kairi was seated at Sora's feet, and she'd clearly also been crying. How long had he been passed out? He realized that his head was in Riku's lap- Riku's entire body was shaking. _And he fucking should __be._ The rage surprised Sora, but once it began gaining speed, there was nothing to be done to stop it.

"He… _fucked_…_**Roxas**_." Sora's whisper was quiet, but laden with enough anger to kill a bull elephant. Without moving at all, Riku shrank into himself. Kairi didn't seem to have heard him. She looked confused. "Sora, what-"

"You. Fucked. ROXAS." Sora's voice rose to a growl. Kairi eeped and stared at Riku. Riku was silent. Sora frantically struggled to get off of him. He was wrapped in a blanket, so it was difficult, but after falling off the couch and untangling himself, he arose, guns a-blazin'.

"YOU had SEX with my NOBODY!" he spat. All he could think of were Riku's lies. _'We fought a bunch of times' my skinny ASS. _"You sick-ass FUCK. What, were you just _too fucking good _to climb into my fucking capsule and rape my comatose fucking body? Was that _beneath you_, Riku!?" Riku was silent. Sora's voice rose, obtaining a shrill edge more frightening than silly. "Do you have any idea what you _did _to him!? What you fucking did to _me_!?" Riku averted his eyes. Sora punched him. Kairi screamed.

"Sora, _stop-_"

"Shut UP, Kairi!" Sora's vision was running red and it was beginning to blur- tears were pouring out. He punched Riku again, as hard as he could. Riku didn't bother to react.

"God, Riku, _stop_ him!"

"I said, SHUT UP KAIRI." Rather than calming him down, Riku's total lack of response was driving Sora hog wild. He wailed on his friend, each blow punctuated by his own howl of pain. Riku sagged, his nose bleeding, but he held onto consciousness and refused to fight back. Sora was shaking now, blood staining his fists, but he kept going. He was in too much fury to stop himself. And what's more, he knew that this pain wasn't his- it belonged to Roxas. All of Roxas's hurt, anger and frustration at being trapped, being heartless, being nothing but a lesser shadow of Sora, doomed to cursed half-life for the rest of eternity, all of it was pouring out of Sora and into Riku's face. Riku, the one who made him _feel._ He was barely recognizable now. Blood was smeared everywhere, contrasting like death with his pale skin and silver hair. Sora pulled his fist back for one more punch, and was stopped by-

"SORA! I _won't let you hurt Riku._" Kairi clung to Sora like a barnacle on a ship. He could have knocked her away with a thought, but he hesitated. Riku spat out a tooth.

"Sorry…. Sora…." he rasped. The blood in his nose and mouth were making it difficult to breathe. The words made Sora come back down to earth. He stared at the mess he'd made.

"Riku…." Sora gasped. Kairi was sobbing. "God, Riku, I'm so sorry, it…. Sorry," he finished lamely. He had nothing left to say. Kairi rushed off to get medical supplies. Riku was developing a sporting black eye. Sora picked up his blanket and feebly began trying to clean up some of the blood. When he was a kid he would have thought the bruises were the coolest ever, but now, they just made him feel nauseous.

"S'ok, Sora." Riku tried to smile, but almost choked on another tooth. "You beating me up is… just like old times." Sora wanted to hit him again, but wisely decided not to. Kairi came back with the hydrogen peroxide and began cleaning everything up. The three friends huddled, shaken and scared. Sora was terrified. His _brain _was turning him against the only two people he could turn to for help. If his own damn mind wasn't on his side, then what _was_?

Axel chose that exact moment to show up in Kairi's living room.


	4. Chapter 4

"Whoa whoa _whoa_. Bad time, guys?" Axel smirked, knowing damn well that it was a bad time. Sora had to admit that they made quite a tableau of horror. All three teens were covered in Riku's blood. Kairi gaped. Riku was missing some teeth. Sora's hair was sticking up like a porcupine. And the _smell- _the combined smell of Kairi's hydrogen peroxide, the blood, and Sora's jizz-in-the-pants episode was enough to suffocate anyone. Unfortunately, Axel stood immune.

"Uh. Guys?" Axel scratched behind his ear, waiting for a response.

Perhaps the insanity of the day finally got to her. Perhaps she was so terrified that the fear had swung around and come back as courage. Whatever the reason, Kairi finally snapped. Roaring like a tiger, she lobbed the open bottle of hydrogen peroxide at Axel's face, grabbed the front legs of a nearby chair, and hurled herself at the Nobody, a blur of tacky furniture and wild purple hair. Axel was too surprised to do anything but smack her out of the air. Kairi hit the wall and then the floor, winded but still conscious. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "crazy bitch."

"_Ok_, then. Now that's done… Sora, you're comin' with me." Axel extended a hand, as if he was offering a friendly invitation. Sora was _really _sick of people ordering him to come away with them.

"Oh, _am _I, now?" With a sharp slash, he summoned his keyblade, and shifted his weight back into a defensive battle position. Using his peripheral vision, he checked up on his friends. Both still conscious and relatively unharmed. He didn't risk making eye contact with Riku. His friend was too weak to pull off a surprise flank maneuver, anyway- better for him not to attract attention to himself.

"I wouldn't do that," Axel warned quietly. He snapped his fingers and conjured a quick ball of flame in one hand, resting the other on his hip. "You try to resist, and I light up this place like a fireworks show." He sniffed and looked around. "Damn shame- it's a nice house. But it's _you _I'm after, not the real estate. And you. Don't move." His final words were directed at Kairi, who had begun trying to crawl back to Riku. She slumped into the floor, defeated.

Sora lowered his keyblade slightly, tightening his grip. "What if I stop you?"

"You won't. These old beach houses are cute, but they sure go up _fast_." Sora scoffed, but knew Axel was right. Since wildfires were unheard of on the Destiny Islands, none of the homes had any sort of fire protection built in. When he was a kid, his neighbor's house had burned to the ground after a simple oven malfunction.

"So. If I resist, you murder my bleeding, wounded friends." Sora waited for a sliver of guilt, but then remembered. Nobody. No conscience. "What happens if I come with you?" Kairi gasped from the floor and began to protest, but Sora quieted her with a look.

"I whisk you away to somewhere safe, and we wake up Roxas." Axel said cheerfully, disappearing the fire with a wave of his hand. Sora stared. This guy was completely, certifiably insane.

"You're crazy. Roxas is _gone_, Axel." Maybe poking the bear wasn't such a good idea, but this was probably the last chance Sora would have to talk some sense into him before he ended up dead or worse.

"No. He's not. He's inside you. And based on what I've heard y'all say about these dreams you've been having, I think he's started kicking." Sora opted to ignore the creepy metaphor.

"You've been _eavesdropping _on us!?"

"Uh… yeah. I mean, what did you expect? I'm the _bad guy_, remember?" Sora paused to consider his options. _1. Go quietly to face whatever sick idea Axel has to 'bring Roxas back.' 2. Fight Axel and lose. Kairi and Riku are dead. Be dragged kicking and screaming to face whatever sick idea Axel has to 'bring Roxas back.' 3. Fight Axel and win. Kairi and Riku are dead._ He was leaning towards the solution least likely to result in Kairi and Riku being dead.

"We're _not _letting you go, Sora." Riku spoke for the first time. His breathing was still labored, and he had the air of someone who'd been quietly gathering what little strength he had left in order to defend his best friend slash love-of-his-life from a crazy pyro madman. Sora kicked himself for forgetting his habit of speaking his thoughts out loud. Axel looked at Riku, and a flash of intense hatred passed through his eyes. Of course. Axel would likely know and be just as pissed as Sora, if not more so, that Riku and Roxas had made passionate love in the mud and the rain.

"Riku. Don't provoke him," Sora muttered, not moving his eyes from the Nobody with the fire.

"Don't _provoke _him? All I'm doing is lying here, bleeding to death." Riku was aiming for sarcasm, but his injuries made him come off as rather pathetic. "You shouldn't be afraid of Axel, Sora. He's just sad 'cause he's got no heart _and _no boyfriend." The room temperature shot up so quickly that Sora worried Axel was going to forget his deal and fry them all anyway.

"Last time I checked, _you _don't exactly have a boyfriend, _either_," Axel spat. "Poor little Riku, all hung up on a kid too dumb to notice his affections." Sora did not like the direction this was going, and desperately wanted the conversation to swing back towards him. Axel was going to hurt Riku. And why did it sound like they'd had this conversation before?

"Doesn't matter," Riku hissed, his weak voice developing a dangerous edge. "You're not taking him without going through me."

"_Really. _You can't even stand up, yet you're willing to throw yourself down for _this _guy?" Axel cocked his head. Suddenly something occurred to him. His face split into a wide, cat-like grin. "You know, you overhear a lot of things you shouldn't when you're eavesdropping…" He looked meaningfully at Sora. Sora paled. No. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Was Axel trying to _blackmail _him?

Riku caught on quickly. "Please. You're trying to blackmail_ Sora_? That's sad, even for you. I've known him since we were in diapers- there's no way he's done anything _blackmail_ worthy." Riku's words were strong, but an unease floated underneath them. He had, after all, suddenly blurted out his feelings for Sora not two days before. Sora bit his lip to keep his mouth shut. _You think that he's going to tell you I don't love you back._

So much had happened, Sora hadn't had time to process what had happened between them. He remembered the panic in Riku's eyes. He knew now why Riku had been so worried- Sora's episodes reminded him of Ansem. Sora also knew that Riku had only been able to fight Ansem with King Mickey's help. And that was the heart of it, he realized suddenly. Riku was trying to do that for Sora- to be the barrier between him and what Riku supposed to be his internal darkness. And even afterwards, when Sora had said nothing at all, Riku had shoved his own feelings to the side and done what needed to be done to help him. He hadn't mentioned his confession once. Pure, undiluted, unconditional love. Sora turned to look at Riku, eyes full. But it was too late.

"God, you're slow." Axel yawned. "And this has gone on for forever. Tell you what- I'll give you a hint. Why, exactly, did you think that Sora had that dream in _Kairi's_ house? Not to spoil the fun surprise, but when my boy's outta there, it seems… less than likely that Sora's gonna be drivin' stick anymore." He snapped his fingers, vanishing and reappearing directly behind Sora.

"Hey, kid. We're leaving." Before Sora could react, Axel boxed him in the side of the head, effectively stunning him. He found himself being scooped up, bridal-style. He was too numb to fight. _Riku… Riku, please…_

The room was silent, except for Kairi's choked sobs. Axel smiled, satisfied. Sora would have laughed if he could. You could wake up from unconscious adventures, but now he was being actually, physically kidnapped, and no one was trying to save him. What a wacky couple of days.

The darkness swirled up around him as he was carried into a portal. Bye, world. Well, he'd wanted to get off of the Destiny Islands, right? _Be careful what you wish for._

* * *

Sora hovered between wakefulness and not, too tired and sad to wake up but not wanting to give himself up to his dreams. He didn't know where he was going, or if he was there yet. Here, the pain wasn't quite so strong. He could stay this way for a while yet.

_Hey. Sora. _Why hello, there, Somebody-I-Don't-Know. Apparently he had gone completely bonkers. Well, that was ok. Sanity was tiresome anyway.

_Sora, listen to me. You're not crazy. _Yeah, whatever, dude.

_Sora! _Man, when you started hearing voices, did they usually yell at you like this? Bad luck in reality, bad luck in crazy land.

_Sora, it's __**Roxas**_. _Get a fucking grip. _Oh, just the being who was created from his hollow shell of a body after he lost his heart. Who he then re-merged with after being trapped asleep in a capsule for a year. Totally normal.

_I want to talk to Axel. _Axel? What's an Axel?

_You're an asshat. I'm putting you to sleep now. _Ok, then. Sora let the numbness overtake him, and settled happily into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.

* * *

The first sense that came back to Roxas was smell. _Axel's _smell. The scent was familiar, and pungent. The second was touch. He was being carried, one hand under his shoulders and one under his knees. His head was resting against a coat, which was covering Axel's hard chest. The air was cold, but Axel's unusually high body temperature was keeping them both warm. Third and fourth were taste and hearing- his tongue tasted thick and sweet, and he could hear Axel's footsteps on the ground beneath him. Roxas decided to keep his eyes closed for the time being. The world was too harsh. He found himself wanting to flee to the safety of the back of Sora's mind.

"Axel." Thank God he remembered how to talk. "Axel, where are we?" Silence. "Ax, you can talk to me- Sora's asleep." Axel froze. "And _I'm _beginning to wonder what the fuck your problem is."

"…Roxas?"

"Yeah. Roxas. You've made enough of an ass of yourself over me, one would think you'd be able to tell the difference." He knew Axel was blushing, but he wasn't ready to open his eyes yet to see for himself. He quickly regretted it though, as it would have prepared him for the sloppy kiss.

"Mmmmph-!" Roxas's eyes shot open in surprise, and then he burst out laughing. Axel's hair was every bit as red and crazy as it had been before, and after the laughter, he now had a red and crazy face to match. Reaching up to grab his lover's hair, Roxas returned the kiss in earnest. After a moment, Axel smiled and put him down. He swayed uneasily for a split second, but the motions of walking are pretty hard to forget, and he was soon solidly resting on his own two feet. He was a lot taller than he remembered being. Apparently Sora had grown in the past two years.

"Rox… that really is you."

"Would I lie to you, Axel?"

"Well… you seemed pretty mad a second ago." Oh, right.

"Yeah! What the_ fuck_ is wrong with you, threatening to burn Kairi's house down!?" Axel jumped at the sudden ferocity in his voice.

"Re_lax_, Rox. I wasn't gonna torch anything," he promised, crossing his heart for emphasis. "I just needed to get _you_," he poked Roxas's chest, as if there was any doubt who he was talking about, "out of there, with as little damage to your body as possible. No way Sora was going to come quietly."

"So the best you could come up with was trying to murder his friends!? Oh, and _nice _work, spilling his little secret. I think you fucking broke him."

"So sue me," Axel sighed exasperatedly. "Honestly, if that was what's letting me talk to you like this, right now, I'd do it ten more times in a _heartbeat_." Roxas snorted and looked away. The red-head had a one-track mind.

"I know Sora is just an obstacle to you," Roxas said quietly. "But you know _damn _well that I only agreed to this stupid scheme of yours on the condition that he wouldn't get hurt."

"And he _won't_. I told you. We put you in your new body, Sora goes his merry way, happily you-free. I have no desire to hurt anyone. And he is _not_ just an obstacle to me."

"I'd believe you, except that you just tried to _burn his best friend's house down._"

"I wasn't going to burn the damn house down!" Axel threw his hands in the air. "And _you're _the one who beat Riku's face in- I don't see you rushing back to apologize!" This conversation was on a fast track to nowhere.

"Fine. I'll believe you." Roxas muttered. "But you still didn't answer my question. Where are we?"

"I'm taking you to where _you _are."

"Why didn't you just portal there?"

"Didn't want to be followed," Axel said darkly. Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Riku can't open portals anymore, doofus."

"Can't be too sure." A long silence settled between them. Roxas looked Axel up and down. The Nobody really _hadn't _changed at all. He hadn't aged a day, even after de- and re-corporating. Roxas wondered suddenly how old his new body was. Would he still be 15? Sora was at least 17, now- would he be 17? While he was lost in thought, Roxas began to teeter awkwardly. Axel caught him around the shoulders.

"Whoa, Rox. You ok?"

"I- I don't think I can hold on any longer," Roxas slouched into Axel. The world was spinning.

"Hey. Don't push yourself. It's ok, Rox- just go to sleep." Axel smiled at him gently, and dropped a chaste kiss on his forehead. "I'm not going anywhere. And soon, you'll be yourself again. Promise." Roxas smiled dreamily in agreement, and let himself slip away.

* * *

When Sora awoke, his clothes were changed, he was seated on some kind of bench, and he was plagued with a horrible headache. The very worst kind of headache, where the pain comes from inside your head rather than out, as if there's just too much junk in your brain and it's trying to escape. He groaned pitifully and grabbed his hot forehead.

"Shut up. I'm trying to concentrate." Sora glanced up and saw someone he'd most definitely never seen before, but who seemed bizarrely familiar. He tried to remember. Where was Axel?

"Where's Axel?"

"He dumped you on me and ran off to make sure his pet was ok," the strange man snarled. He was filled with animosity, but Sora couldn't tell if it was for him or his red-headed captor.

"Who are you?"

"What?"

"… Who are you?" The man stared, then began muttering to himself.

"Of course. His memories were altered- he wouldn't remember-"

"Could you just tell me who you are, please?" Sora winced as the headache spiked. His brain was in overdrive, for no apparent reason at all.

"_Vexen_," the man hissed. Vexen. Nope, never heard of him. Wait. Sora dove through his feverish mind to find a memory from not too long before. He had no idea of knowing how long ago it had been since he'd last seen Riku, of course, but he was in too much pain to try to figure it out.

"Didn't you _die_?" The man turned sharply. "You- Riku told me- Riku told me Axel killed you." Sora shuddered. Now his muscles weren't working, either? "What, is that guy the anti-death or something?"

"Nope. Vexen was just too _angry _at being betrayed to disappear." Axel entered the room, a big smile on his face. Vexen hissed again, like a cornered, angry cat. Well, that answers that question. Sora moaned and collapsed sideways. Axel rushed over to his fallen body and put the back of his hand against Sora's forehead, reminding the boy of his mother. He giggled. He missed Mom.

"Vexen, he's on fire," Axel frowned. "Gimme some ice."

"Why should I? The problem will be solved as soon as they're separated. Let him suffer." Axel whipped around, conjuring two massive fireballs in the process. Vexen shrank back in fear, then quickly froze the seat Sora was on as well as some of the walls. Sora instantly felt better. The headache was still around, but it was manageable without the heat.

"Hey. It's ok, kid. You just feel sick because you're so close to Roxas's body." Roxas's _body_!? "What was it you said, Vex?"

"Two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time," the scientist growled.

"Yeah, that's it. You and Roxas aren't supposed to exist in the same body all at once, so your body is acting up," Axel translated. Sora's eyelids drooped. The pain was getting to him. Suddenly, his voice and body jumped into action all their own.

"You never told me fucking _Vexen _was involved!" he roared. "You want me to entrust _both _our lives to this freak show!?" Vexen sniffed indignantly. Axel moved to quiet him down.

"Relax, Rox. He knows if he fucks up, I'll kill him. Again." Axel punctuated his threat by shooting a glare at Vexen. Sora resurfaced.

"What- what good does it do if you kill him _after _he's already damaged me? Er, us?" Sora shivered. The ice was freezing him. This was not a good plan. Not good at all.

"Not gonna happen, Sora."

"You can _tell the difference_?" Vexen gasped.

"Yeah, asswipe. More work, less faux surprise."

"Number 8, you cannot-!"

"The Organization is _gone_, Vexy. I know you're lost without your rank, but hey, you can number your machines if it helps." Vexen was so angry, he looked as if he were about to have a heart attack. Too bad he didn't have a heart. God, that had to be frustrating. Like constipation times a million.

"C'mon, So. I want you to meet someone." Axel roughly pulled Sora to his feet, and supported him when it became clear that he wouldn't be able to move on his own. Sora found himself being drag-carried past what he now saw to be Vexen's makeshift lab and into a small side room. A small side room with a table. And on that table was a-

"Roxas?" Sora whispered. Axel nodded. His brain settled down, apparently satisfied that it was where it ought to be. Able to move independently again, Sora took a few steps toward his Nobody's empty body. He had never gotten a good luck at Roxas before, considering that the boy lived in the back of his head. The replica was perfectly proportioned, and looked to be about the same height as Sora himself. His face, so like Sora's, but oddly different. Sora reached out and touched his cheek. It was cold.

"I thought I lost him," Axel whispered suddenly, startling Sora out of his trance. "I was sure he was gone forever. So I died… but when I did, Roxas called out to me. He called me back. That's how I knew he was still alive. Inside you." Axel pulled out a comb and began carefully grooming the sleeping Roxas's hair, something he'd clearly done enough times for it to be routine. "I fought to find a way to speak to him. And then I found Vexen. We met in a bar, do you believe that?" The red-head was speaking to himself more than Sora. Or possibly he was speaking to Roxas. "We fought, of course. Fire and ice and all that. And I did assassinate him before. But then after a while, we talked. He needed a project. And I needed you. So- so we worked something out." Axel put down the comb. He turned to Sora. "I'm sorry, Rox- I should have told you about Vexen. But like you said. I was afraid you wouldn't agree to try if you knew I was counting on him. But really, who else would be able to build a Roxas Replica?"

"Axel…" Sora murmured. Or was it Roxas? It wasn't easy to tell anymore.

"Don't worry. It'll be over soon," Axel promised.

"What will happen to me?" Sora asked. Definitely Sora this time.

"Absolutely nothing. Like I said before, it's not natural for you to be together like this. Roxas was only needed as kind of a glue to hold your memories together while they were being repaired- now that you're whole anyway, transferring Roxas to a different body should be fairly easy. According to Vexen," Axel added sheepishly.

"Does that mean- can Naminé and Kairi be separated as well?"

"Hmm. I don't know, kid." Sora wondered whether Kairi would even want them to be separated- she never spoke of her Nobody at all. Riku would definitely jump at the chance to have the last bits of Ansem pulled out, but not at the cost of giving the beast his own _body_. Better to contain him, Riku would say. Riku!

"Riku! What did you mean when you said that to Riku!?" Sora suddenly burst out. He had forgotten, with being unconscious and then the headaches. But now he remembered, in the most painful way imaginable. Riku had lain there and allowed him to be kidnapped. He didn't even say anything. Just lay there. Nothing. Sora fought back tears. Axel saw, and apparently felt guilty enough to give Sora an explanation.

"Well… it was actually kinda shit…" he began, then realized this wasn't the best tack to take, and started over. "Roxas is a part of you, but not. His personality is quite a bit different from yours, as I'm sure you know. When I started waking him up… he began affecting you, even before _he _realized it." Axel paused to allow his words to sink in. "You probably got more irritable, stuff like that. And, also, you saw in some of your dreams, well, Roxas is as gay as a picnic basket. You, on the other hand… when did you start getting into guys?"

Sora thought about it, hard. All signs pointed to less than a year ago. He tried to convince himself that he'd had a crush on Riku when he was younger, but no luck. The tears got stronger, and one escaped and slid down his cheek.

"I thought so. And, Riku," it was hard not to notice the dislike in his voice, "and Roxas had a torrid affair, and Roxas always had the hots for him. Of course he was going to go after him in your body," he finished softly. "Sorry, kid. But hey, now that you've done it with a guy, maybe you will stay gay after…?" Sora was silent. Axel scratched his ear.

"I… guess I'll leave you two alone for a little while, then." Axel left quietly, shutting the lights off on the way. Sora climbed onto the table next to Roxas, curled up in a little ball, and cried himself to sleep.

* * *

Sora expected to see a memory. What he got was Roxas. Just Roxas, surrounded by nothingness, sitting cross-legged, looking at him with his head tilted to one side.

"Yo, Sora." Roxas smiled and waved a little.

"Eh- hi? How are we able to talk like this?"

"Please. _You're _the one that fell asleep all up on me." Sora thought for a moment, then blushed. He had indeed fallen asleep snuggled up to his Nobody. He just wanted to be close to someone, and Roxas's lifeless body was all that was available. The whole situation was kind of creepy, now that he was thinking about it.

"It's ok, I don't mind. Just know, you're cute and all, but screwing my Other is a little too kinky, even for me. So no funny stuff, ok?" Sora snorted.

"Why are you here? Now? Why aren't I just seeing your memories?"

"Huh? Oh- well, I kinda thought you'd, you know, have some questions. Being kidnapped and all. And, for the other one, I'm now happily strong enough to block you from my mind." Sora didn't much like the idea of having another sentient being bouncing around in his head. The sooner Roxas was gone, the better.

"Tell me… this 'project,' will it work?"

"Axel promises me that it will. And I trust him." Sora sighed.

"_Axel_? The jerk who just tried to kill my two best friends and then kidnapped me? The only memory I had of the two of you, he attacked you with a frickin' lamp!"

"You.. don't know him as well as I do. And I already told him he was an asshole for the whole torching-the-house thing. He was just trying to get you to come without a fight. According to him, that is," Roxas finished, muttering.

"What a douche." Roxas jumped at the strong word coming out of Sora's mouth.

"Wow, Sora! Didn't think you had it in you! I guess I've been a good influence, then."

"Yeah, guess so." Sora hesitated, then decided to ask the question that was burning his tongue. "Roxas… what's going to happen to me and Riku?"

"You and Riku? I didn't realize there was a 'you and Riku.'" Roxas seemed genuinely surprised. "I thought you all were fuck buddies." Tears welled up in Sora's eyes. "Uh, if you're worried about not being attracted to Riku when I'm gone, I don't think that should be a problem… come on, have you _seen _the guy?" The tears kept coming. "Uh, Sora… why are you sad?"

Sora murmured something unintelligible. "Louder, So. Can't help if I can't hear you."

"_He's not going to love me anymore_," Sora bit out. And once the words were in the air, he burst into sobs. Roxas smiled. It was all he could do to stop from laughing.

"_That's _what you're worried about?" Sora looked up, shocked. "That guy would still be in love with you if you killed his cat. I think you might be pleasantly surprised."

"W-what do you mean?" Roxas checked a non-existent watch on his wrist.

"Sorry. We're outta time, Sora. Next time we chat like this, it'll be in real life." Roxas smiled broadly. He was excited, in spite of himself. Sora opened his mouth to protest, and Roxas cut him off.

"No buts, Sora. Time to wake up."

* * *

Sora was still curled up next to Roxas, face wet with tears. Axel was leaning against the wall, apparently keeping an eye on them both.

"Nice dream, kiddo?" Sora stiffened.

"Stop calling me _kid. _I'm the same age as your _boyfriend. _That's sick."

"Sorry, k- uh, Sora. He just… seems a lot older than you. Maybe it's the drunken pirate thing." Sora once again opened his mouth to protest, and was once again cut off.

"Ah, Axel?" Vexen's voice, high and strained, drifted in from the next room. "We seem to have a visitor, and he says he'd like to speak with you."


	5. Chapter 5

_Riku! _Sora could feel him. Axel muttered a curse and left. Sora wanted, no, needed, to see Riku. He gently laid Roxas down. The moment the physical contact stopped, the pain in his head and the rest of his body became near unbearable. But Sora was determined. He stumbled off the table and steadied himself for a moment, before dragging his feet towards the door. Only a few steps, but they felt like miles. His body screamed to go back to his other half. _Nope, _he told it sternly. _My other half is this way. _Just as he was reaching the doorway, Axel was offering a friendly greeting.

"Wow. You look like shit." No response. Sora struggled around the doorway, and was so shocked he almost collapsed all over again. Riku really _did _look like shit. All of the bruises on his face were haphazardly bandaged, most likely by Kairi, giving him kind of a deranged mummy look. His lip was still noticeably swollen, his normally pristine hair was frazzled and windblown, and the greenish purple bruising around his eyes set off their wild fury even more. Sora felt suffocated by the amount of dark energy rolling off of his friend, evidence that he'd dipped into his unspeakables in order to find him. He winced from a cocktail of pain and guilt. He was in too much pain now to be able to do anything to get Riku's attention, and Riku did not acknowledge that he had entered the room.

"You took something of mine," Riku growled, eyes never leaving Axel, voice low and even and very un-Rikulike.

"Funny. I could accuse you of the exact same thing," Axel said airily. He jerked his head. Sora was still stuck wondering why Riku wasn't looking at him when Vexen suddenly scooped him up and dragged him back into the tiny room with Roxas, slamming the door and locking it. Sora moaned pitifully in protest. Vexen unceremoniously dumped Roxas onto the floor and used the table to barricade the entrance. Sora grabbed Roxas's hand, and immediately enough for that to hurt a bit too, all of the pain flooded away. Roxas was close to the surface- close enough that he was hurting both of them. Sora held his twin, groaning as the temperature in the small room began to rise.

"Shut up and make yourself useful," Vexen hissed. "You want us all to die?"

"Riku won't hurt me, and Axel won't hurt Roxas," Sora said truthfully, holding onto the blonde boy like a kid with a security blanket. "_You're_ the only one whose life is in danger."

"Fine," the scientist spat. "You want _me _to die?"

"I'm not sure," Sora answered a little too honestly. "For some reason I really, really don't like you." Vexen's face spasmed with rage. The temperature spiked and Roxas thrashed. Sora frowned. "Does he usually… move around like that?"

"No. He's close to waking up," Vexen said irritably, his ear pressed to the wall to listen to what was going on. He jumped back as an especially mighty clash of metal reverberated through the tiny hideout. Sora's heart leaped with unbearable worry. For _both_ of them, all at once. This was just too much to deal with in one body. He had to stop Axel and Riku from fighting before something bad happened. And, as luck would have it, he knew just the way to do it.

"Vexen, separate us," Sora ordered, more confidently than he felt. Vexen stared.

"That is a very delicate proced-"

"Separate us," Sora repeated firmly. Roxas twitched. "See? Roxas wants out, too." Another huge clash of metal, and Roxas thrashed again. Sora could feel Roxas's panic for Axel, and Roxas's body was reacting to it. Very out-of-body, and very weird and wrong. Too much worry for one person to handle. This needed to end now. "You said he was close to waking up, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Separate us."

"No."

"Not a request, Vexen."

"No." Sora summoned his Keyblade and whacked him in the side of the head with the flat. Not hard enough to incapacitate by any means, but hard enough to hurt. Vexen yelped and grabbed the side of his head.

"What!? What are- OW!" Sora thwapped him again. He felt like an old school principal with a paddle, or maybe a cat owner with a spray bottle. "FINE! Fine. You all die or worse, not my problem."

"Separate us, Vexen." He was beginning to feel like a broken record. Even unconscious Roxas seemed irritated.

"Fine. I'm working on it. Hold hands." Sora was already holding hands with his Nobody, but held on tighter to appease his only shot at getting out of here. "Now. Close your eyes." Vexen rested a hand both on Sora's head, and Roxas's. The hand was slick and grimy, and disturbingly cold considering the heat of the room. Like a corpse. "Focus on Roxas, as intently as you can. Feel your memories of Roxas, and purge them." Sora wanted to scream. It was that easy!? That settled it- Vexen was _dead _as soon as this was over. "Purge them, and hopefully they will transfer into the unconscious vessel." _Hopefully?_ Well, too late now. Sora focused all his will on the boy in his arms.

Starting most recently. Seeing Roxas's sleeping body, speaking to Roxas in his dream. Sliding backwards. When he'd met Roxas on top of the Castle That Never Was. Fighting Roxas in the city. Even farther back. Axel's death. No. Those were all Sora's memories. He closed his eyes and concentrated harder. He saw a pod opening slowly, a flash of bright light. Twilight Town, his friends, Axel. The organization, fighting Riku, fighting Axel, all of his missions, meeting Axel on the clock tower. Meeting Xemnas, at the end of the world. And then everything was black, rushing upwards, rushing, rushing-

Suddenly, his mouth was forced open. A tiny white light breathed out, almost idly, floating in front of his eyes, as if saying a quick goodbye. And then, it entered Roxas's body with a sigh. Sora was in shock. A sharp icy sensation penetrated his heart, then ricocheted out through his body. The sensation was overwhelming, and for the first time in what felt like quite a while, Sora was dunked into unconsciousness.

* * *

Roxas was aware. His eyes fluttered open. He was _aware. _He was aware of the hard concrete beneath his back, he could hear the battle raging just outside, he could even smell Vexen. And yet, he wasn't in Sora's body. He had a body! He reached up and pulled a tuft of hair down, going cross-eyed to try to see it. It was blonde. He had blonde hair! Roxas giggled with glee, grabbing the boy next to him for an impromptu hug. Sora was breathing deeply, apparently still asleep. Roxas sat up. Vexen was sitting in the corner of the room, staring at the two of them in fear.

"How long?" Roxas asked simply.

"Only a few minutes," Vexen answered breathlessly. "Uh, hello, Roxas."

"Hi, Vexen." He was grinning like an idiot. It wasn't every day that you got resurrected. "Never thought I'd say this, but it's actually kinda nice to see you."

"Uh, thanks?"

"So, sorry about this, dude." Roxas summoned both his Keyblades, and slammed Vexen so hard with Oblivion's hilt that it knocked him unconscious. No way he was going to risk having him pull any stupid shit with Sora while he was stopping the fight outside. He moved over to the door, whistling cheerfully, and pulled the table out of the way. He was about to open the door the conventional way, when he realized, hey, new body. Why not show it off? So he knocked the industrial door off its hinges with a well-placed roundhouse kick. As luck would have it, the door flew directly into Riku, effectively stunning him long enough for both fighters to pause and see who it was.

"Roxas?" Riku whispered.

"Roxas!" Roxas turned. Everything in the lab was, of course, on fire, but all the fires sputtered out as soon as he locked eyes with Axel. "Roxas!" the redhead repeated, smile getting bigger and bigger. He staggered over to Roxas, hobbled due to a stab wound in his side. Nobodies felt pain, but it didn't slow them down.

"Roxas…" Riku whispered again. Axel reached Roxas and grabbed him into a deep hug. Roxas laughed and hugged him back. He didn't even mind the blood and the sweat and the off-the-charts heat. He had a body back, and he was home, and he had just effortlessly stopped his two lovers from fighting. He indulged himself a triumphant little snuggle into Axel's chest.

"Hi, Axel."

"Hi, Roxas." Axel squeezed him tighter.

"Sora… where's Sora?" Riku's darkness was wearing off, and he seemed to have trouble remaining standing. Of course. He had to have already been in extreme pain from the injuries Sora gave him- that plus fighting Axel and he must have been walking death. No darkness, no adrenaline, and all of that pain was catching up with him. Roxas gave Axel an apologetic look- _no worries, I'm not going anywhere_- and Axel reluctantly released him. He walked over to Riku and extended a hand to steady him.

"Sora's fine. He's asleep." Riku looked incredulous, but wasn't in any position to fight. "Here, I'll show you." Roxas carefully led the brutally wounded teenager back to his old room. He was a bit sad to see it destroyed and littered with unconscious bodies like it was. He'd been resting in there for God knows how long, and he'd become a little attached. But that was then, and this was now. Sora was in the corner. Sleeping peacefully, curled up in a loose fetal position, snoring lightly. Riku barked out a laugh that clearly caused him a great deal of pain.

"This asshole. He always falls asleep while I'm trying to rescue him." He shook his head. "Look at that. As if he has no idea that this place is burning down around him."

"Don't worry. He was the one who beat up Vexen into telling him how to separate us," Roxas grinned. The memory was hazy, but even a hazy memory of the look on Vexen's face at being thwapped repeatedly was enough to make him chortle. "He definitely helped out, even if he's taking a much-deserved break right now…" Sora snorted and rolled over. He was drooling a little. Roxas smiled at the affection that was still noticeable through Riku's swollen eyes.

"Axel and I can get you guys home. Just say the word."

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm done." Roxas scooped up Sora, knowing Riku wouldn't be able to.

"All right, let's go."

"Roxas-" Riku shuffled his feet and averted his eyes. "I'm, uh, sorry."

"What for?"

"For, you know. What we did. Sorry for upsetting you." Pink tinged Riku's cheeks, visible even through all the bruising and bandages. "Sorry for making you leave the Organization. And for beating you up and kidnapping you. I just… I needed to get Sora back. Do you… can you forgive me?"

"S'ok. Besides, I think Axel already paid you back in full," Roxas said gently. "Seriously, forget it. After everything that's happened, I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean…" He looked at the ground, a little embarrassed. "I was _happy _inside Sora. Not that I'm not also happy now, but- I mean, I wasn't suffering, or anything. I just _was._" He paused. "Please… do me a favor and tell Sora and Kairi not to worry about Naminé. She was miserable as a Nobody… I'm sure she's much more happy where she is now."

Riku nodded. "That's a promise." Axel limped in, nursing the stab wound, which he'd used the interim to clumsily bandage up with a piece of his shirt. Roxas's eyes narrowed at the filthy cloth, and he made sixteen mental notes to clean up his redheaded friend properly as soon as they reached civilization. Axel stared stupidly at the unconscious bodies.

"God. What'd you do to Vexen?"

"Knocked him out," Roxas said cheerfully. And a job well done, at that.

"Oh. Nice work. Think he'll be ok if we just leave him here?"

"Yeah, I think so. He probably never wants to see us again, anyway. Let's just go."

"Yeah. Somewhere with a beach!" Axel grinned.

"You have a goddamn hole in your torso. You're not going anywhere but bed."

"Oh, Rox, you wound me. Though I suppose if I'm stuck in bed it won't be _too _hard to find something to keep myself entertained…" Roxas smacked him in the head. Axel yelped in indignation and pouted like a little kid, muttering darkly about ungrateful short people. Roxas ignored him, but inside he was giddy. Axel, his Axel, hadn't changed a single bit, even after death. They actually were going to be ok. And so was Sora, he just knew it. Roxas summoned a portal.

"All right- let's get you guys home."

* * *

Three weeks later, Sora woke up. He was in his own bedroom in his own house. His stubborn window was propped open, and a cool island breeze drifted over him. He felt good. Peaceful and well-rested, as if a massive weight had been peeled from his chest. The bed was so soft and inviting, he found himself rolling over to go back to sleep.

A few hours later, Sora awoke again, this time when his mom came in. She was gently changing his clothes, to make him more comfortable. His eyes opened, and he offered a weak smile.

"Hi, Mom." Before he could react, he was being swept up into the beariest bear hug he'd ever had. His mother was sobbing. He instinctively reached his arms around to comfort her. "Hey, Mom, it's ok…" She cried harder. He found himself being swayed back and forth like a baby, and before long, he was bawling too. He was _home. _For the very first time since his world had been destroyed all those years ago, he was home. He let himself be held by his mother until they both were too exhausted to go on.

"Oh, baby," she smiled through tears. "I thought I'd lost you all over again. Don't do that to your mama, you hear me?" Sora snuggled contentedly.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm not going anywhere, ever again," he promised. The smell of his mom's clothes took him back, way back, all the way to his early childhood- no keyblades, no rafts, not even Kairi. His islands were all he needed. His islands and…

"Is Riku ok? Are Riku and Kairi ok?"

"They're fine, sweetie. But you can't see them yet- today, I get you all to myself for once!" His mom gave him another squeeze. "Now get your lazy butt out of bed and I'll make you some waffles." Sora cheered and was gone down the stairs before before his poor mother could even blink. She wrinkled her nose. "Honey, you might want to shower first..!"

The next day Sora was awakened by a loud battle whoop, as Kairi ran across the room and tackled him. He oofed in surprise as she hopped around on his bed, apparently undecided between just hugging him and leaping about in excitement.

"God, Kairi. What time is it?"

"It's 2:00 in the afternoon. Your mom wouldn't let me wake you up before now. Says you need sleep, or something. As if." Kairi never stopped smiling, and the smile was becoming infectious. Sora picked up a pillow and threw it at her. She caught it and tossed it right back, hitting him in the face.

"So, what're we going to do today? It's super nice out, there's still enough time to go to the beach, or we could go into town if you want to just chill out, maybe get some ice cream, or we could just stay here. I brought movies!" she gushed. Sora was more than thrilled, and leaning towards movies, but something was nagging at him.

"Kairi… where's Riku?" Her face fell a little bit.

"He… he was kinda messed up when he brought you back. I think he's nervous." Sora filled with guilt. Riku's being afraid of him was the absolute _last _thing he wanted. He'd managed to put off talking to him for a while because of the visions and the kidnappings, but if he kept stalling, he'd risk losing his friend forever.

"Do you know where he is?" Kairi's face fell again. "Sorry, Kai, the movies sound great, they really do, but… if I don't put things right now, they'll only get worse."

"You really _are _feeling better, aren't you, Sora," she said softly, with a crooked smile. "I think he's out on the island. But please, don't get upset if you don't get the answer you want…" Sora waved his hand dismissively.

"Please. That guy would still be in love with me if I killed his cat."

"Uh, Sora? Riku doesn't _have _a cat. Or a dog, or even a bunny, for that matter." Sora just flashed her his big stupid grin, and purposefully strode out the door. Everything was going to work out perfectly.

* * *

Sorry for the relatively short chapter. But be sure to tune in for the final installment, Everyone Has Sex With Everyone Else. Woo! ... In hindsight, that should've been the title of this fic.


	6. Chapter 6

The exciting and pornalicious conclusion to "Time To Wake Up"! Thanks, loyal readers, lol. And sorry I accidentally deleted this story and had to report it once. Enjoy!

* * *

Roxas carefully unwound the bandages from around Axel's tiny midsection. His work had been perfect- there was barely even a scar. Axel watched approvingly.

"Mmm. I'd get injured every day if it meant getting to have you take care of me." He paused for thought. "But my side isn't very sexy. I'll be sure to get stabbed someplace a little more… _fun_ next time, eh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"God, Axel!" Roxas rolled his eyes. "We both _died_,and now you're _still _trying to get me to shave your balls? Jesus, do it yourself!" His outburst was a little sudden, and he scratched his ear, embarrassed. Axel giggled like a schoolboy.

"Nah, I just wanted to see if you remembered. And, well, yes." He faked a blush, turning on all the cuteness he could muster. But Roxas was not so easily swayed.

"No. No erotic ball-shaving."

"Damn." Axel reached up and grabbed him around the middle, pulling him down onto the bed. After Roxas's dramatic resurrection, the Nobodies had decided that a quiet vacation was in order. They'd stolen some money (they were, after all, somewhat evil) and booked a room at a small hotel in Twilight Town. The place where Roxas met Axel, where Roxas met Sora, where all of this mess had been set into motion. There was no better place for them to get to know each other again. Roxas snuggled happily against Axel's neck, pleased to finally be able to cuddle again without bandage dodging.

"Nothing's changed, has it?" Roxas murmured.

"Oh, a whole hell of a lot has changed," Axel grinned. "But I wouldn't have it any other way." They lay there for quite some time, breathing in sync, just happy to be in each other's company. Roxas's eyes fluttered shut, breathing in Axel's scent. He was about to doze off, when the redhead cleared his throat.

"Zuh?" Roxas asked, sleepily.

"You know, there's something we haven't done since I brought you back… But you know, not injured anymore…" As if the hint wasn't strong enough, Axel dropped a hand and began rubbing circles on Roxas's lower back. Roxas yawned and laughed a little.

"Ax, you can sex me up whenever and wherever you want to." Axel perked up immediately.

"You really mean it? I mean, you're not just saying that?" It was all Roxas could do to keep from laughing at how excited his boyfriend looked.

"Of course I'm not just saying that. We're _lovers_, dude. Generally that means that every once in a while we need to actually ma-ah!" Roxas was flipped over onto his back before he knew what was happening. Axel hadn't lost his touch, then. The red-head was on top of him, pinning his limbs down, gently kissing his jaw.

"If you meant what you said," he murmured, "it'll need to be a lot more than 'every once in a while.'"

"Yeah, ok. Sex me up, Axel." Roxas rolled his eyes a little, but Axel didn't need to be told twice. He kissed him deeply just as he slid one hand into Roxas's pants. Roxas's hips bucked in surprise.

"Jesus, Axel, ever heard of _foreplay_?" he gasped, shuddering as he felt himself harden up.

"Oh, this _is _foreplay," Axel smirked. The temperature in the room was rising rather quickly, and Axel's eyes gleamed. He removed the offending hand and pushed his hips against Roxas's groin, provoking another squeal of surprise. "I love when you do that," he growled, nibbling on Roxas's neck.

Roxas himself was feeling a tad overwhelmed. His new body wasn't quite sure how to react to all the feel-gooderies that Axel was showering him with. He shuddered more intensely, and his breath was getting shorter. His stomach twisted, and his thigh muscles began to tighten up. The pressure in his groin was getting unbearable. Suddenly, he remembered what all of this meant.

"Ungh- Axel-!" Roxas's eyes rolled back in his head as he came, muscle spasms making him gasp, heat radiating out across his body as his pants filled up to capacity. God, how embarrassing. He wasn't even undressed yet. He could feel the wetness soaking out onto the sheets. Great. Just perfect. In a couple moments, Axel noticed the smell, and stopped his movements.

"Dude. Did I just make you jizz in your pants?" Roxas's body was completely over-sensitive, the slightest touch prompting violent shudders.

"Yeah. Yeah, you did." He said weakly, body twitching at the feel of half-naked Axel on top of him. Axel grinned wickedly.

"I've always wanted to do that."

"Well, congratulations, then." Roxas was shivering, despite the heat. Axel pulled back with concern.

"You ok?"

"Uhh- it's all just, a little new, you know? Not new, very, very old. But new to me, right now. Do I make sense?"

"Loud and clear, Roxy," Axel murmured, using a pet name that Roxas hated. He rolled off of him and held him close. Roxas smiled.

"Thanks, Axel. You're the best."

"I know." Roxas yawned dramatically.

"When we do it for real, I get to be on top."

"Anything you want, Rox. Anything at all." Axel gently kissed Roxas's forehead as the blonde boy fell asleep, at home for the first time in three long years.

* * *

Sora walked directly down to the docks, hopped in his boat, and headed for the island. If Riku wasn't there, he'd go to his house next. He was patient to a point, but he really needed to talk to his friend _today. _Rowing was a tad difficult, since he hadn't used his arms in three weeks, but his Keybearer muscles came through for him. His thoughts wandered as he pumped his way across the choppy water. _What if Riku really __**doesn't**__ love me anymore? _

"No! No time for that," Sora muttered to himself. "He loves you, you know that, just go and tell him how you feel!" _But what if it's too late? _"It's not too late!" _Are you sure? _"Yes."

Sora landed and pulled the boat up onto the sand. He was in too much of a rush to bother with tying knots. He ran up to the paopu island and sure enough, there was Riku. He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, gazing out at the ocean. He didn't even notice when Sora approached.

"Riku?" The silver-haired boy startled and whirled around. His eyes widened. "Riku," Sora began again, but his friend cut him off.

"Listen, before you say anything, I'm really sorry, and we'll always be friends," he rushed out. A solid blush crept up his neck and he stared down at the ground.

"Why are you apologizing? You came to rescue me," Sora said softly. Riku was silent. Sora took a few steps towards him, bent down, and gently turned his face upwards. Riku still refused to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you before." He took a deep breath. Now or never. "I love you, Riku."

"Don't make fun of me." Sora's eyes bugged in surprise. Most definitely _not _the response he'd been expecting.

"What? I'm not! How could you say that?"

"You're straight." Well, not really. He supposed he was more bi than anything. But he figured that for now he might as well play along with Riku's game, to find out what he was thinking if nothing else.

"So?" Sora challenged.

"Uh, I don't have a vag, dude. Go get with Kairi, you were always supposed to be together anyway." Riku's words were laden with an oppressive level of sadness. Sora almost wanted to cry, despite knowing that it was all crap.

"Riku. It doesn't _matter _what_ junk_ you have!" he complained, nudging his friend in the shoulder. "I love you_. _And I still would if you were a girl, or the way you are as a guy, or even if you were a shapeless blob. It's _you_, Riku. I love _you._" A long silence ensued. Panic bubbled steadily inside Sora's gut- he had never thrown himself out in the open like this, exposing himself to the elements. Finally, a slow smile spread across Riku's face.

"Shapeless blob, huh?" he said with a sheepish grin. Sora let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Definitely. Sex might be awkward, though."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a shapeless blob."

"That it is." Sora plopped down next to Riku on the sand, watching the sunset. He was completely comfortable, his panic from the moment before forgotten. Hard to believe that less than a month ago he was running away from Riku like the boy had plague. The two friends sat in silence until the sun had disappeared under the horizon, leaving the clouds a hazy pink.

"So, that's it then?" Riku finally asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, you just show up to tell me about how much you love me and everything, and now I don't even get a kiss? You're really bad at this."

"Sorry. I just thought that love was supposed to be, you know, _unconditional._ Twenty minutes in and you're already making demands?"

"I'm just saying."

"Yeah, _now_ you're just saying. But how long 'til you start blackmailing me and withholding sex?"

"Start withholding sex to get kisses? That makes no sense. And, how can I withhold sex when we're not having any?"

"Yeah, well, um…. Go to heck, Riku." Riku laughed for the first time in the entire conversation, the deep, throaty sound that made Sora's neck hair stand on end. Mmm, deep throaty. With horror, Sora realized just what Riku had just said, and just how long it had been since he'd had sex.

"Hey Riku? Wanna have sex?" Sora asked hopefully. Riku was still giggling.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go." The first time they went to kiss, Sora moved too quickly and banged their noses together. Riku laughed out loud again, causing Sora to blush, for once.

"Geez, Riku."

"Sorry. I'm just happy." Riku stopped laughing, settling for a big, happy smile, and Sora kissed him, more gently this time. The two boys wrapped their arms around each other, just enjoying being close. Sora carefully deepened the kiss, accepting Riku's tongue gladly.

Riku caressed Sora's hips and slid his fingers underneath his belt, fiddling with the buckle. Sora returned the gesture by playing with Riku's vest zipper. In mere minutes the garments were discarded, scattered out across the sand, and the two boys were all the way down to their boxers. Riku's eyes were hazy with lust, and he brushed his finger tips against Sora's swelling groin, causing the younger boy to moan happily.

"Take off my boxers," Riku commanded with a sly grin. Sora giggled and obligingly slipped his fingers under the waist band, massaging tiny circles on the joints where Riku's thighs met his hips. Riku sighed appreciatively and grabbed on to Sora's waist. Sora slid his hands farther down Riku's thighs, allowing his forearms to push the offending garment out of the way. Riku rolled back onto his butt, allowing Sora to pull the boxers around his ankles and all of the way off. Sora pushed Riku onto his back, and leaned down. He offered Riku a sexy smile, then took his entire length into his mouth. Riku's hips quivered, and tiny gasps escaped his mouth.

"Hey. Hey, Sora." Sora looked up, lips red and swollen. He'd pushed Riku to the edge much faster than usual- apparently his friend was _very _excited. Riku himself was panting, lying back on the soft sand, completely bare. Sora quickly discarded his own boxers, and then rolled back on his heels. Riku truly was beautiful- why hadn't he seen it before? Riku sat up, and slid his arms around Sora, clearly preparing for the main event. Sora gently pushed him away.

"No. I want to do you this time." Riku blinked at him in surprise. "I'm serious. I came prepared," he said excitedly, crawling across the sand to his discarded pants and pulling out a near-empty bottle of lube. Yeah, Sora used his lube a lot. Still plenty available for the task at hand, though. "It feels really good, Riku, I promise."

"Ok. I trust you." Sora sucked on a finger, and reached around behind his best friend. Riku gasped and clenched up.

"You sure you want to do this?" Sora asked, concerned. "We can do it the normal way if you want-"

"No. Keep going."

"Ok." Sora gently massaged the area around Riku's entrance with his finger, and gently began to slide one finger inside. Riku shuddered at the foreign sensation, and Sora pressed their bodies together, holding him close, sucking on his clavicle since Riku was still taller than him. When he met with resistance, Sora stopped, and slid his finger out and back in, waiting for Riku's muscles to relax. The process was slow going, and both of them went soft, but whenever Sora offered to stop, Riku shook his head and told him to keep trying. Finally, Sora's entire digit was snugly up Riku's ass, and he felt around for what he was looking for. He found it by accident, finger brushing up against a squishy spot that felt rather like a marshmallow. Riku gasped in surprise, and little Riku looked up a bit with mild interest.

"Found it," Sora grinned. He poked the spot again, deliberately this time, and Riku let out a tiny mewl, arching his back.

"_Shit_, Sora…"

"Please don't." Riku shot him a glare as Sora slid his finger out, and grabbed the bottle of lube. He dumped it on his hand, coating two fingers this time. He rubbed some lube onto Riku's hole in a little circle, then pushed both fingers inside. Riku cried out and grabbed onto him, and Sora stopped abruptly.

"Did that hurt? God, I'm sorry!"

"N-no. It doesn't hurt. Just feels different." Sora nodded in understanding, and slid all the way in, bumping Riku's prostate again. The silver-haired boy groaned, fully erect now. Sora gently pushed forward, moving Riku down onto his back. Riku obliged happily, moving one leg up to Sora's shoulder for easy butt access. Sora slid his two fingers out, then back in, and in and out, settling into a slow rhythm to get his friend used to the sensation. Riku bucked and groaned every time Sora hit his sweet spot, and Sora was in awe. So _this _was why Riku enjoyed pleasuring him. He sped up his pace and his silver sex god dug his fingers into the sand, a flush spreading over his chest and up his neck to his cheeks. Sora was good and hard now, and he reached down and diddled himself while he added a third finger to his ministrations. Riku was open.

"Ungh. Sora- please. Fuck me," he breathed, gasping for air. Sora slid his wet fingers out and fumbled for the lube. Riku shuddered at the loss of contact. "I want you inside me." Sora smiled and planted a relatively chaste kiss on his lips.

"Me too," he whispered, pouring lube sloppily all over his crotch. He remembered his own first time, and he didn't want Riku to be in pain. Riku himself fidgeted impatiently.

"Ok. Ok. Here we go, baby-" Sora positioned himself outside Riku's entrance, and pushed. The first thrust missed, and Riku let out a little moan of frustration as Sora's slippery cock slid across Riku's smooth cheek. He rolled his eyes, tightened his leg around Sora's shoulders, and guided Sora himself. Within moments, Sora's tip was inside Riku. Sora hovered on the brink, looking at Riku uncertainly. Riku wiggled his bum impatiently. Sora closed his eyes and pushed.

The sensations overwhelmed him. Riku's heat surrounded his most sensitive organ, and spread across his entire body, bathing him in delicious warmth. His shock must have shown, because Riku nudged him in the ear with his knee, concern on his face.

"You ok?" Sora nodded, smiling sleepily. He'd never been more ok.

"I love you, Riku," he murmured throatily.

"I love you too, Sora." Sora pushed himself all the way in, hitting his target on the very first try. Riku gasped and bucked his hips, inadvertently pulling Sora even deeper. Sora slid out, thighs quaking, and pushed back in. Riku mewled and his leg tightened around Sora's neck and back. At this rate, Sora wasn't going to be able to last very long at all. To compensate, he settled for a very slow rhythm, massaging Riku's insides and enjoying the sounds coming from his new boyfriend. Wait, they were boyfriends, right?

"Hey, Riku," Sora croaked, picking up the pace a little bit. "Are you my boyfriend?"

"Of course, dumbass. Now fuck me." Riku wrapped his other leg around Sora's shoulders and arched his back dramatically, giving Sora perfect access. Sora shuddered, and thrust with everything his hips could muster. Riku howled with pleasure, writhing on the sand, not caring how loud he was. Sora began to moan, too. Out here, on this island, no one could hear them. Here it was only the two of them. Of all the worlds in the universe, this one was only for him and Riku.

"Riku…" Sora gasped, white edging into his vision. He didn't even notice when Riku began to fist himself. His back arched, his knees dug into the wet sand, his groin muscles twisted into aching, pleasurable knots. He fell forward onto his elbows, groaning into Riku's belly. His back tightened, a sharp twang, and suddenly, he was burning all over, the heat from his cock shooting out into Riku and up across his entire body, melting him into a pile of gibbering goo. He was dimly aware of Riku's come splashing all over his abdomen as he collapsed, unfortunately taking Riku down in the process.

"Oof. Sora." Sora moaned something incoherent. "You're squishing me." Sora pulled himself out and rolled over onto the dirt, still too numb to speak. He lay there pathetically while he and Riku's sweat dried, their breathing returning to normal. The sky was completely black now, the stars twinkling down at them. For once, Sora saw them and didn't feel lonely. He fumbled for Riku's hand.

"Thanks, boyfriend," he murmured sleepily.

"Anytime, boyfriend," Riku replied, equally drowsy.

"Wanna sleep out here tonight?" Sora asked softly. In answer, Riku grabbed Sora's middle and rolled him over, tucking him into a loose cuddle. _Yes, everything was going to work out just fine._

"Mmm? Sora, you say something?"

"Nope. G'night, Riku."

"Sweet dreams, Sora."

* * *

Mmm, porntastic! My very first Kingdom Hearts fic, finished. R&R plz?


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